LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- LeBron James has made it clear that his goal is to surpass Michael Jordan as the greatest player in the history of basketball.

On Sunday night, James took a step closer to doing so.

James was named the 2020 Finals MVP for leading the Los Angeles Lakers to their first championship in a decade and winning the fourth title of his career, with a 106-93 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night.

James, who previously won Finals MVP in 2012 and 2013 with the Heat and in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, is the first player in NBA history to win the award with three different franchises.

Winning his fourth Finals MVP award moves him out of a tie with Magic Johnson, Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal and into second all time -- trailing only Jordan, who won the award six times.

James capped his 17th season in the league with a virtuoso run through the postseason, shooting well over 50% from the field while also running the Lakers' offense virtually every possession he was on the court. He also displayed a commitment on the other end of the court, playing a key role in a suffocating defensive unit.

Most importantly, James outdueled Jimmy Butler in what was an all-time classic matchup throughout these Finals, including James going off for 40 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists in Game 5, and 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in Game 6.

James delivering a 17th overall championship to the Lakers, who last won a title in 2010, came after a disappointing first season in Los Angeles.

Following their 2018 Christmas Day win over the Golden State Warriors, the Lakers were 20-14 and in fourth place in the West. But James suffered the first major injury of his career in that game, a strained groin that forced him to miss more than a month. By the time he returned, the Lakers had fallen to 10th in the West. James ended up failing to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2005.

Last summer, general manager Rob Pelinka swung a massive trade for Anthony Davis, an excellent partner for James who helped the franchise quickly turn around.

"It's exciting to have such a beautiful young mind, a beautiful player but also a great leader as well," James said of Davis at the start of the 2019-20 season.

The Lakers quickly had on-court success in large part because of James, who averaged a league-leading and career-high 10.2 assists in the regular season, then once again proved to be indomitable in the crucible of the playoffs.

After Portland won Game 1 of the first round, James averaged 34.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 9.3 assists over the final three games of that series. He and the rest of the Lakers overwhelmed Houston in the Western Conference semifinals. His defense on Nuggets guard Jamal Murray helped put the Lakers in the NBA Finals.

And then his drive to continue willing the Lakers forward allowed them to survive a stiff test from a resolute Heat team.

"After [Miami's] Game 3 win, that confidence they had, the confidence they still have even after tonight's loss," James said after leading Los Angeles to a win in Game 4. "They are just a gritty, so damn-well-coached team.

"I feel like if we're going to be a championship ballclub, if we want to really be a championship team, that we got to have that same grit and that same attitude.":

James also made sure that the Lakers stayed unified and pushed toward their shared goal throughout their run in the bubble.

"It's probably been the most challenging thing I've ever done as far as a professional, as far as committing to something and actually making it through," James said on NBA Finals media day of playing in the bubble. "But I'm here for one reason and one reason only, and that's to compete for a championship. That was my mindset once I entered the bubble. ... I've been as locked in as I've ever been in my career."

James's fourth championship gives him more rings than any other active player, and moves him to within one title of a group of 13 players who have won five, including Johnson, Duncan and the late Kobe Bryant. With Davis all but certain to remain in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future, James should have an opportunity to add more.

"Playing for championships, and competing for championships, and representing the Western Conference in the championships," James said after beating the Nuggets in the Western Conference finals. "This is what I came here for."