Miami Heat forward LeBron James has been named as 2013 Male Athlete of the Year by The Associated Press.
The announcement was made on Boxing Day, with James becoming the third basketball player to receive the award since its initial inception in 1931.
The Miami Heat man received 31 of 96 votes cast in a poll of news organisations, having beaten both NFL player Peyton Manning and NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson to win the gong.
James has appeared in 98 games for the Heat this year, with his side winning 78 of the fixtures the forward has featured in during 2013.
