LeBron James capped a memorable year with a memorable honor. (AP)

NBA MVP LeBron James was named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year, the magazine announced Monday.

James, 27, won his first NBA championship in 2012, leading the Heat past the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals and then past the Thunder in the NBA finals. He also won a gold medal with Team USA at the London Olympics.

He became just the second player ever to win an NBA title, an NBA MVP award and an Olympic gold medal in the same year (Michael Jordan, 1992).

James acknowledged that he needed to change some things following his infamous ESPN special in 2010 in which he announced his decision to leave the Cavaliers for the Heat.

“Did I think an award like this was possible two years ago? No, I did not,” James said in the SI cover story. “I thought I would be helping a lot of kids and raise $3 million by going on TV and saying, ‘Hey, I want to play for the Miami Heat.’ But it affected far more people than I imagined. I know it wasn’t on the level of an injury or an addiction, but it was something I had to recover from. I had to become a better person, a better player, a better father, a better friend, a better mentor and a better leader. I’ve changed, and I think people have started to understand who I really am.”

James is the first NBA player to be named SI’s Sportsman of the Year since Heat guard Dwyane Wade in 2006.

Let’s be honest, the delivery of the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition was always a circled day on the calendar for many adolescence  – mainly for the fact that you wanted to grab it out of the mailbox before your parents knew it was even there.

Bar Refaeli

The annual edition has come along way since the Kathy Ireland days. Not only is there more skin, but millions can now access the world’s most beautiful women with a few clicks of the mouse at SI.com. As a guy in the industry, I would love to see the amount of page views and advertising revenue that the online feature rakes in.

This year’s publication supposedly features the next budding star in the modeling industry, Bar Refaeli (pictured right), who has been romantically linked to Leonardo DiCaprio. Hard to imagine, but I think Leo actually traded up from another familiar face who he had previously dated. Some would say blaspheme, but I say everyone wins here.

A local beauty shares the pages of the mag with Refaeli – Alison Preston. Alison is a member of the Boston Celtics Dance Team. Congratulates to Allison for representing Boston and the Celtics organization, even though some would still say Red would be rolling in his grave (In February 2004, Auerbach told the Globe, “They’re just waiting for me to die so they can get cheerleaders.”).  Well Red, I think your franchise has done just fine with the girls in green.

You may have seen Alison at the Celtics games, but if you haven’t, check out her S.I. Swimsuit photos & video by clicking on the image below:

Alison Preston