Kobe Bryant Named MVP

Kobe Bryant has been selected the NBA’s most valuable player for the first time in his 12-year career, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

Bryant has won three championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and is considered the league’s best talent. But he had never come close to winning an MVP before this season.
Kobe averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists in the regular season. Also, he led the Lakers to a 57-25 record and the top seed in the Western Conference.

Bryant, second in the NBA in scoring behind LeBron James, will be the first Lakers player to win the MVP award since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000. Other previous Lakers to win the award were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, who each won it three times.