CLEVELAND, Ohio -- After being squeezed out of the top three one year ago, LeBron James was named a finalist for 2017-18 NBA MVP, the league announced Wednesday night.

James joins Houston Rockets point guard James Harden and New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis as the three finalists for the prestigious award that will be handed out on Monday, June 25 at 9 p.m. on TNT.

The finalists were determined based on voting results from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

A four-time winner, James averaged 27.5 points -- the most for him since the 2009-10 season -- on 54.2 percent from the field to go with 8.6 rebounds and 9.1 assists.

He played in all 82 games of the regular season for this first time during his illustrious career and led the league in minutes per game, helping the Cavaliers navigate a turbulent regular season dotted with nonstop roster changes. Cleveland finished fourth in the Eastern Conference.

This marks the 13th straight season James has finished top 5 in the MVP race -- the longest such streak since the award was first given in 1955-56.

Harden, the perceived frontrunner, is seeking his first MVP. He has finished runner-up twice in the past three seasons. Harden, the engine of the league's most prolific offense, helped lead the Rockets to an NBA-high 65 wins while finishing first in scoring (30.4 points) and third in assists (8.8).

Davis and the Pelicans overcame a season-ending injury to sidekick DeMarcus Cousins, earning the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference. Davis averaged a career-best 28.1 points to go with 11.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks. Davis was also named a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year.

If James wins, he will join Bill Russell and Michael Jordan with five MVPs. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the all-time leader with six.

James finished fourth last season, behind winner Russell Westbrook, Harden and San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard.