Calendar 2019 was an unusual one for NBA superstardom, starting with the fact that LeBron James was not part of the postseason for the first time since 2005.
Because of his ability to step up his game in the playoffs, James has won four of the five times I've handed out the ESPN+ Golden Basketball to honor performance throughout the calendar year as an alternative to the regular-season MVP and Finals MVP awards.
But with James spending most of the first half of 2019 watching from the sidelines -- first literally, while battling a groin injury, then figuratively, with the Lakers in the lottery -- we'll have a new winner this year.
With James out of the running, who gets that honor?
Let's run through my top 10 of 2019 for the Golden Basketball, our equivalent to FIFA's Ballon d'Or.
The nominees
10. Marc Gasol
Memphis Grizzlies/Toronto Raptors
Position: Center
2018 rank: N/A
Résumé: NBA and FIBA World Cup champion
The Golden Basketball recognizes performance throughout the calendar year, so Gasol is honored for helping both the Raptors and his national team to titles.
Gasol's addition helped solidify Toronto's interior defense, and he was the second-leading scorer (behind World Cup MVP Ricky Rubio) on a Spain team that claimed its first intercontinental championship since winning the World Cup in 2006.
9. Paul George
Oklahoma City Thunder/LA Clippers
Position: Forward/Guard
2018 rank: No. 8
Résumé: All-NBA First Team
Despite a shooting slump late in the 2018-19 regular season due to shoulder injuries that would require a pair of summer surgeries, George finished third in my wins above replacement player (WARP) metric during the 2019 portion of the campaign, behind the top two finishers for MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden.
Since returning to action with the Clippers in mid-November, George has scarcely skipped a beat this season.
8. Nikola Jokic
Denver Nuggets
Position: Center
2018 rank: N/A
Résumé: All-NBA First Team
Jokic demonstrated that his unique skill set for a 7-footer could translate to the postseason. After playing his way to the All-NBA First Team spot at center, Jokic improved his averages across the board in the playoffs as the Nuggets got within a game of the Western Conference finals. His 65-minute effort in Denver's four-OT loss at Portland in the conference semifinals will be difficult to duplicate.
7. LeBron James
Los Angeles Lakers
Position: Forward
2018 rank: No. 1
Résumé: All-NBA Third Team
Despite missing 24 games during the 2019 portion of the 2018-19 regular season and watching the playoffs at home, there's only so far James can drop on this list. After all, he has returned this season as one of the league's most dominant forces, leading the fortified Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference heading into 2020.
6. Kevin Durant
Golden State Warriors/Brooklyn Nets
Position: Forward
2018 rank: No. 2
Résumé: All-NBA Second Team
Like his rival James, Durant drops on the list due to injury. A calf strain interrupted his playoff run just as Durant was making a case as the league's best player. His comeback for Game 5 of the NBA Finals threatened to tip the series in Golden State's direction, only for Durant to suffer a crushing Achilles tendon rupture in the second quarter.
The injury meant that Durant wouldn't debut in a Brooklyn uniform until sometime in 2020.
5. Stephen Curry
Golden State Warriors
Position: Guard
2018 rank: No. 4
Résumé: All-NBA First Team
With star teammates Durant and Klay Thompson battling injuries, Curry did his best to carry the Warriors to a third consecutive title. His 47 points in a losing effort during Game 3 of the Finals with both players sidelined was one of the season's most memorable performances. Alas, Curry's shot to win Game 6 was errant, and he subsequently suffered an injury of his own -- a broken bone in his left hand -- four games into the 2019-20 season, sidelining him for the remainder of the calendar year.
4. Damian Lillard
Portland Trail Blazers
Position: Guard
2018 rank: No. 7
Résumé: All-NBA Second Team
Lillard's case for a top-four finish -- his highest ever -- begins with the series-ending dagger he drilled from 37 feet (officially) to knock out the Thunder and end an era in Oklahoma City, with the subsequent departures of George and Russell Westbrook. Though Lillard wasn't as singularly dominant in the second round, his threat was key to Portland beating Denver to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2000.
The finalists
3. James Harden
Houston Rockets
Position: Guard
2018 rank: No. 3
Résumé: All-NBA First Team
It is remarkable that the two highest-scoring seasons since Wilt Chamberlain's heyday get Harden only a podium finish for the Golden Basketball, but such are the high standards in 2019.
Aggregating his regular-season and playoff games during the calendar year, Harden has averaged 37.4 points per contest (with one more game perhaps to come on New Year's Eve, depending on the toe sprain that sidelined him on Sunday). But he wasn't quite as valuable during the playoffs, and he appears headed for a second straight year as MVP bridesmaid.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks
Position: Forward
2018 rank: No. 6
Résumé: MVP
For all but one series -- and really just the last four games of the Eastern Conference finals -- 2019 belonged to Antetokounmpo, who put the finishing touches on his first MVP season and went a long way toward claiming a second (TBD in 2020).
In between, Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to a 2-0 lead in the conference finals after smashing Boston out of the playoffs but then struggled to maintain the same impact as Toronto dared him to score over the top. So while Antetokounmpo might have a Golden Basketball award in his near future, he won't add to his hardware just yet.
The winner
1. Kawhi Leonard
Toronto Raptors/LA Clippers
Position: Forward
2018 rank: N/A
Résumé: NBA Finals MVP
The Golden Basketball choice reflects a central tension of NBA basketball in the 2010s: how to weight regular-season performance against the playoffs. Nobody better exemplifies that trade-off than Leonard, who was only an All-NBA Second Team selection in 2018-19 in large part due to the games he missed for the divisive purpose of "load management" (now relabeled "injury management" to reflect the role of the quadriceps tendon injury that sidelined Leonard for the bulk of the 2017-18 campaign).
Whatever your position on Leonard's method, there's no denying the results of his attempt to be at max capacity entering the postseason. He was the NBA's best player during the playoffs, sinking his already legendary four-bounce game-winning jumper well after the buzzer sounded on Game 7 of the Raptors' second-round series against the 76ers and outplaying Antetokounmpo head-to-head in the conference finals before winning Finals MVP.
Leonard's decision to leave the defending champs and return home to Southern California with the Clippers showcased another NBA trend toward superstar movement and swung the balance of power in the league. Though the Clippers are just third in the West entering 2020, their pair of head-to-head wins over the Lakers -- with Leonard leading the way -- have him in position to win another title with his new team.