LeBron James Admits Kevin Durant Is Top MVP Candidate This Season

The 2013-14 race for the NBA's Most Valuable Player award looks set to be one of the most hotly contested two-player duels in league history. In one corner, you have Miami Heat forward LeBron James, two-time reigning MVP, and four-time winner. In the other corner, you have Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, the 25-year-old upstart and runaway scoring title champ. 

In the MVP race, you are either "Team LeBron" or "Team Durant."
But Team Durant has added one surprising supporter on Wednesday: LeBron James.
Wait...what?
Believe it or not, James believes that it would be "great" if Durant took home the award, per the Miami Herald's Joseph Goodman:

I think K.D. has had one heck of a season, and if he was rewarded with the MVP, it would be great. It would be awesome for him, for his family. It would be a great thing for him. He has played MVP-type basketball.

What has set Durant apart? James believes it is the remarkable consistency of his performance this season, per Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick: