NBA NEWS - KOBE BRYANT WINS NBA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD - May 2008

Kobe Bryant wins NBA MVP Award - NBA photo

The 11-year NBA veteran totaled 1,105 points, including 82 first place votes, from a panel of 126 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.

NEW YORK,, NY USA - Wednesday May 7, 2008

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers is the winner of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the 2007-08 NBA Most Valuable Player presented by Kia Motors, the NBA announced.

The 11-year NBA veteran totaled 1,105 points, including 82 first place votes, from a panel of 126 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Players were awarded 10 points for each first-place vote, seven points for each second-place vote, five for third, three for fourth and one for each fifth-place vote.

As part of its support of the Most Valuable Player Award, Kia Motors will donate a brand-new 2009 Kia Borrego seven-passenger SUV on behalf of Bryant to the East L.A. Boys and Girls Club. Kia Motors presented a Borrego to the charity of choice of each of the four year-end 2007-08 award winners as part of the “The NBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia Motors.”

Rounding out the top five in voting for this season’s award were New Orleans’ Chris Paul (889 points), Boston’s Kevin Garnett (670 points), Cleveland’s LeBron James (438 points) and Orlando’s Dwight Howard (60 points).

Bryant finished the season ranked second in the league in scoring at 28.3 ppg, having shot .459 from the field, .840 from the free-throw line and .361 from three-point range. In addition, Bryant added 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game. The 6-6 guard led the Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference (57-25, .695), a 15-game improvement over last year (42-40, .512), and the franchise’s 19th Pacific Division title.

Bryant is the youngest player in NBA history to score 20,000 career points and the 16th player in league history to tally 21,000 points and 4,000 assists. This season, Bryant moved past 12 players on the all-time scoring list, including Hall of Famers George Gervin, Bob Pettit, Walt Bellamy and Hal Greer, to 24th all-time. Bryant was named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week three times (Jan. 14, March 3, April 7) and NBA Western Conference Player of the Month presented by Kia Motors twice this season (February, April).

The NBA MVP trophy is named in honor of the late Maurice Podoloff, the first commissioner of the NBA who served from 1946 until his retirement in 1963.

2007-08 MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD VOTING RESULTS

PREVIOUS MVP AWARD WINNERS STILL ACTIVE

Season - Player, Team

1955-56 - Bob Pettit, St. Louis

1956-57 - Bob Cousy, Boston

1957-58 - Bill Russell, Boston

1958-59 - Bob Pettit, St. Louis

1959-60 - Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia

1960-61 - Bill Russell, Boston

1961-62 - Bill Russell, Boston

1962-63 - Bill Russell, Boston

1963-64 - Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati

1964-65 - Bill Russell, Boston

1965-66 - Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia

1966-67 - Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia

1967-68 - Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia

1968-69 - Wes Unseld, Baltimore

1969-70 - Willis Reed, New York

1970-71 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee

1971-72 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee

1972-73 - Dave Cowens, Boston

1973-74 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee

1974-75 - Bob McAdoo, Buffalo

1975-76 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles

1976-77 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles

1977-78 - Bill Walton, Portland

1978-79 - Moses Malone, Houston

1979-80 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles

1980-81 - Julius Erving, Philadelphia

1981-82 - Moses Malone, Houston

1982-83 - Moses Malone, Philadelphia

1983-84 - Larry Bird, Boston

1984-85 - Larry Bird, Boston

1985-86 - Larry Bird, Boston

1986-87 - Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers

1987-88 - Michael Jordan, Chicago

1988-89 - Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers

1989-90 - Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers

1990-91 - Michael Jordan, Chicago

1991-92 - Michael Jordan, Chicago

1992-93 - Charles Barkley, Phoenix

1993-94 - Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston

1994-95 - David Robinson, San Antonio

1995-96 - Michael Jordan, Chicago

1996-97 - Karl Malone, Utah

1997-98 - Michael Jordan, Chicago

1998-99 - Karl Malone, Utah

1999-00 - Shaquille O'Neal, L.A. Lakers

2000-01 - Allen Iverson, Philadelphia

2001-02 - Tim Duncan, San Antonio

2002-03 - Tim Duncan, San Antonio

2003-04 - Kevin Garnett, Minnesota

2004-05 - Steve Nash, Phoenix

2005-06 - Steve Nash, Phoenix

2006-07 - Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas

(NBA)