Stern will make the official presentation to Lakers star next week.
By Mike Bresnahan, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
May 3, 2008
It took 12 seasons, but Kobe Bryant has finally been selected the NBA's most valuable player, The Times has learned.
Sources familiar with the outcome who were not authorized to speak publicly about the award until the official announcement from the league said Commissioner David Stern will be in Los Angeles next week to present the trophy to Bryant.
The award, selected by NBA writers and broadcasters, figured to go to either Bryant or New Orleans guard Chris Paul, who guided the Hornets to second place in the Western Conference in the regular season.
Bryant's season capped a massive turnaround from a tumultuous off-season in which he asked to be traded.
The Lakers went from shaky preseason forecasts to winning the top spot in the West, finishing 57-25 in one of the most grueling regular-season races in league history. The Lakers then swept Denver in the first round of the playoffs, with Bryant averaging 33.5 points a game in the series, although the votes had already been cast by then.
Bryant, 29, lost a little in the scoring column during the regular season, falling from 31.6 points a game last season to 28.3 during the 2007-08 season, but his defense was notably better and he averaged 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists, numbers that were tied for the second- and fourth-best outputs of his career.
He also deferred to teammates much more than in the last few seasons and rarely forced his will on games, a trait that saddled him in the past.
Despite his explosive on-court ability, Bryant never engendered much MVP support until this season. He was third in the voting last season, fourth two seasons ago, and did not receive a vote three years ago when the Lakers failed to make the playoffs.
He was fifth when the Lakers last advanced to the NBA Finals, in 2003-04.
As the 2007-08 regular season wound down, Bryant spoke about the MVP award.
"MVP nowadays is not an individual award," he said last month. "You really have to make your teammates better and elevate your ballclub. For me to be nominated in that race is a tremendous honor because that's really been one of the criticisms that people have had of me, is how well do I make my teammates better. From that standpoint, I feel like I've already won."
The Lakers usually let the fortunes of their players rest on their own achievements, but the team took the added step of creating a Bryant-for-MVP campaign by sending material to NBA writers around the league.
The concept mimicked an old-style political election campaign and consisted of bumper stickers, campaign buttons, red suspenders and a letter from "campaign manager" Jerry Buss, who urged writers to vote for Bryant.
It might have lent a helping hand, although Bryant's season-long play ultimately had the final say.
Bryant is the fourth Laker to win the MVP award. Shaquille O'Neal won in 2000, Magic Johnson won three times, the last in 1990, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the MVP three times as a Laker, the last time in 1980.
nba게시판에서 퍼온글이에요~!
와 드디어 받네요 ! 이제 코비에 대한 평가가 어떠해질지 기대되네요~!이번 플옵도 화이팅!
첫댓글 방문) 토로피 받는거 보기전까진 못믿겟어요 ㅠㅠ
경사났네~~~ 얼씨구~~~ 에헤라디야~~~ 축하한다 코비야~~~
참 너무 기뻐서 말이 안나오는건지.. 아직 실감이 안나서 말이 안나오는건지..
아 감격이네요 ㅠㅠ V15조던빠마님도 너무 좋으시겠어요. 저런 영광의 순간에 스테이플 센터에 계실것이라니 ... 사진좀 많이 찍어오세요!!
^__________^ 벌써부터 너무 기대되고 떨리네요...ㅎㅎㅎ
ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
당연...앞으로 성적만 계속 받쳐줘라...몇번 더 타자~~
백투백 mvp를 달성하려면 이제 스탯면에서도 임팩트를 보여줘야 할것 같습니다. 아.. 정말 내년에 팀성적과 스탯향상을 병행할수 없겠니 코비야??
정말 기쁘네요. ㅠㅠ 축하해요. 코비, 이대로 파이널 MVP와 우승까지 GO! GO!
코비 확정 ~~~~~
ㅊㅋㅊㅋ 코비 만쉐이!
드뎌 코비도 mvp를..올해 파이날 mvp 까지 받기를..
captain!!! oh~my captain!!!
받을 걸 예상했는데도.. 실감이 잘 안 나네요..
사랑해요~ 코비 브라이언트~~~~~~~
역시 MVP는 코비꺼였군 ㅋㅋ
우하하하 ㅋㅋㅋ 너무 늦게받았어요
역시 MVP콜이 틀린게 아니였어요 ㅎㅎㅎㅎ
코비야 축하해 냐하하하하하하하하하하하하하하
푸하하하하ㅏ하하하하하하하ㅏㅎ ㅎㅎ
(방문) 코비 브라이언트 MVP 수상 축하합니다 ^__^
그동안 레이커스와 코비를 지켜봐오면서.. 정말 눈물날만큼 감동이네요ㅠㅠ
휴...이제야 한숨돌리네.~~추카추카!!
정말 기뻐요 ㅠ.ㅠ ㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎ
축하해 나의 MVP ㅜ
만세~ 파이널 mvpㄱㄱㄱ~
코비가 드디어... mvp 축하한다...~~~~~
(방문)코비의 MVP진심으로 축하드립니다... 레이커스팬분들도 축하드려요...^^
정말 축하한다, 코비야..ㅠㅠ
오 나의 HERO 오 나의 MVP
드뎌~~~~~~~
진심으로 축하합니다. 이제 1개의 MVP만 따면 되겠군요 바로 이번플옵에서요
(방문)정말 축하드립니다.ㅠㅠ 저도 코비는 무척 좋아하는지라...기쁘네요^^
당연히 받았어야 할 선수가 뒤늦게 받았을 뿐.....
Kobe Bryant is MVP.이제 파이널 MVP다
정말 축하합니다...파이널 MVP까지 GO GO!!