This season has been a weird one for LeBron James. After looking like he would finally guide the Cleveland Cavaliers to their long-awaited NBA Championship last year, his team was outclassed by Golden State in the finals. Then, this season, LeBron watched as Steph Curry led the Warriors to an incredible, historic season.

Curry walked away as the first unanimous MVP in NBA history this week, and after being asked about it on Wednesday night, LeBron came back with a curious response:

“I think sometimes the word ‘valuable’ or best player of the year, you can have different results.”

He continued:

“Look at Steph’s numbers. He averaged 30, he led the league in steals, he was 90-50-40 (shooting percentages from the free-throw line, field and 3-pointers), and they won 73 (games). So, I don’t, do you have any debate over that, really, when it comes to that award? But when you talk about most ‘valuable’ then you can have a different conversation, so, take nothing away from him, he’s definitely deserving of that award, for sure.”

It’s important to note that LeBron isn’t incorrect. Statistically speaking, Curry has been the best player in the NBA this season, but evaluating value does require a different conversation. Take Curry off the Warriors and they still have a solid chance of winning the NBA title. Take LeBron off the Cavs and they’d be working to sneak into the playoffs. Steph may have been the better player, but in that landscape, can you really say he’s more valuable to his team than LeBron?

It’s not an overtly strange thought process. What’s weird is that LeBron actually actually felt the need to say it.

It’s been a recurring theme this season, too. His passive-aggressive tweets. His flirtations with leaving. His praising of opponents. Now, his theorizing on the word “valuable.”

Playing on a team has always meant more to LeBron than winning. He wants to win (obviously) but he also wants to form bonds with his teammates. He wants to create memories, and more than anything else, he wants to be the guy driving things forward. Not in a Kobe Bryant, hog-the-ball-and-take-a-million-shots-a-game type of way. He’s happy to spread the ball around and help others shine, but he also wants people to know that he’s the guy spreading the ball around and making other people shine.

That’s what’s driving him insane about Steph Curry this season. Fans are at the point now where they expect LeBron to be LeBron, but they look at Steph and are utterly and completely astonished. After years of King James’s rule, Steph is securing himself on the throne of basketball’s new era.

LeBron does these things for attention. He’s a thin-skinned superstar that needs to be praised at all times. Instead staying quiet and using Steph’s MVP for more motivation, he’s busy standing in the corner and waving his hands, finding subtle ways for people to tell him how great he is.