Two world championships seem to have healed some wounds for fans of LeBron James. For the first time in four years, the Miami Heat forward is the most popular player in the NBA, according to the latest ESPN Sports Poll. Nearly 13 percent (12.9) of NBA fans said James was their favorite player this season, allowing him to best Kobe Bryant (12.5) for the first time since the 2008-09 season. That was the only other season when James passed the Los Angeles Lakers star, the top pick by fans for five of six years from 2006-07 to 2011-12. After "The Decision," James' approval rating slipped drastically. For his final season in Cleveland, 15.6 percent of fans called him their favorite, according to the ESPN Sports Poll taken after the 2009-10 season. But for his first two years with the Heat, James was called fans' favorite player by 10.2 and 9.4 percent, respectively. Source: ESPN
