NBA star LeBron James is furious after missing out on the Most Valuable Player award to Giannis Antetokounmpo.

And he was particularly angry that he only polled 16 first-place votes out of a possible 101, compared with Antetokounmpo’s 85.

And despite having scooped the award four times previously, the Los Angeles Lakers was in no mood to be dignified in defeat.

When asked at a press conference how he felt about the vote, he said: "P****d me off. That's my true answer. It p****d me off because out of 101 votes, I got 16 first-place votes. That's what p****d me off more than anything.

"You know, not saying that the winner wasn't deserving of the MVP. But that p****d me off. And I finished second a lot in my career, either from a championship, and now four times as an MVP.

"You know, like I said, I never came into this league to be MVP or to be a champion. I've always just wanted to get better and better every single day, and those things will take care of itself.

"But some things is just out of my hand and some things you can't control. But it p****d me off."

It is the fourth time in his career that James has finished runner-up for the MVP award.

James, 35, had the most assists in the NBA and spearheaded his team to the No 1 seed in the Western Conference play-off.