The Lakers season started off with a bit of uncertainty. Kobe Bryant said during the summer he wanted to be traded and publicly voiced his displeasure about team's direction. Here he is surrounded by the press during the annual Media Day in El Segundo.
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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.
Seriously?
I wanted Chris Paul to win it.
Finally the media got it right!
The best player in the game for the past 5 years is finally the MVP!
Kobe won the MVP by a landslide!
Here are some MVP voters to give you a clue!
Full ballots listed:
Brian Hanley - (1) CP3, (2) Kobe, (3) KG, (4) LBJ, (5) Amare
Mike Wells - (1) Kobe, (2) CP3, (3) KG, (4) LBJ, (5) Dwight Howard
Ira Winderman - (1) Kobe, (2) CP3, (3) KG, (4) LBJ, (5) Dwight Howard
Peter May - (1) KG, (2) CP3, (3) Kobe, (4) LBJ, (5) Dwight Howard
Chris Broussard - (1) Kobe, (2) CP3, (3) LBJ, (4) KG, (5) Dwight Howard
Chris Sheridan - (1) KG, (2) Kobe, (3) CP3, (4) Dwight Howard, (5) LBJ
Rick Bonnell - (1) CP3, (2) Kobe, (3) LBJ, (4) KG, (5) Dwight Howard (tentative as of 3/30)
Chris Tomasson - (1) Kobe, (2) CP3, (3) KG, (4) LBJ, (5) Dwight Howard
Ken Berger - (1) Kobe, (2) CP3, (3) LBJ, (4) KG, (5) Dwight Howard
Ross Siler - (1) Kobe, (2) LBJ, (3) CP3, (4) KG, (5) Deron Williams
Fran Blinebury - (1) Kobe, (2), CP3, (3) KG, (4) LBJ, (5) Manu
Brian Windhorst - (1) Kobe, (2) CP3, (3) LBJ, (4) KG, (5) Dwight Howard
Michael Wilbon - (1) Kobe, (2) CP3, (3) KG, (4)T-Mac, (5) LBJ, (6) Amare
Sam Amick - (1) Kobe, (2) CP3, (3) KG, (4) LBJ, (5) Manu
Gary Washburn - (1) Kobe, (2) CP3, (3) LBJ, (4) Melo, (5) Amare
Lang Whitaker - (1) Kobe, (2) CP3, (3) LBJ, (4) KG, (5) Tim Duncan
Ric Bucher - (1) Kobe, (2) CP3, (3) LBJ, (4) Tim Duncan, (5) KG (tentative, as of 4/1)
Marc Stein - (1) Kobe, (2) CP3, (3) KG, (4) LBJ, (5) Manu
Jan Hubbard - (1) Kobe, (2) CP3, (3) KG, (4) LBJ, (5) Tim Duncan
Chris McCosky - (1) Kobe, (2) CP3, (3) LBJ, (4) KG, (5) Amare
David Moore - (1) Kobe, (2) CP3, (3) KG, (4) LBJ, (5) Amare
Jack McCallum - (1) Kobe, (2) CP3, (3) LBJ, (4) KG, (5) Amare
Marty Burns - (1) KG, (2) Kobe, (3) CP3, (4) LBJ, (5) Tim Duncan
Ian Thomsen - (1) Kobe, (2) KG, (3) CP3, (4) LBJ, (5) Dwight Howard
Sam Smith - (1) Kobe, (2) KG, (3) CP3, (4) Steve Nash, (5) LBJ
Kevin Ding - (1) Kobe, (2) LBJ, (3) CP3, (4) KG, (5) Dirk
Kobe got 20 first place votes!
Garnett got only 3 first place votes
Paul go only 2 first place votes
you're such a troll, its too sickening
die er die
I like pancakes.
throwing your entire team under bus to start off the season = MVP.
At least he'll get one trophy this year.
I though Chris Paul deserved it way more!!!
If CP3 wanted to be #1, he should have gotten #1 in the West.
I thought Tim Duncan already had two MVP's?
Congratulations Kobe Bryant, very deserving..
On another note, the fact that Kevin Garnett have a DPOY Award and Tim Duncan having none is SICKENING. Almost as sickening as Kobe not having an MVP Award before this year.
I agree.
didn't they only get to being a really good team once gasol got there?
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD....nothing else...the NBA is rigged on these matters.
first off, Lebron had way better stats....Garnett had a way better record....and Chris Paul is the best player right now. Kobe is an AMAZING player but the sportswriters voted for him as a lifetime award. all these mainstream shows on ESPN all wanted him to recieve it. like if he doesnt win it this award wont mean anything. Chris Paul or Lebron James deserves it. they just knew this was one of his last years to win it....stupid sportswriters....
LOL...ur a suns fan right? How many times did they beat you without Gasol? That should answer your question.
Lebron - Better stats, Crappy record
Garnett - #1 record...in the EAST with 2 other all stars.
CP3 - well deserved imo...tie breaker was the record.
The Lakers were #1 in the WC before Pau got to LA.
wow you must feel very haughty now being a lakers fan when the media praises an adulterer who stole an award from more deserving talent this year.
EVERY freakin day i hear JIM ROME just kissing Kobes butt for every thing he does....I HATE ESPN....Los Angeles fans should feel proud that sportswritters GAVE this award to kobe....he didnt deserve it....
i'm not saying anything about him playing the suns. yep, they beat us, so did many other teams. but in general, the team wasn't performing nearly as well before gasol as after.
LOL..yah they were only like #1 seed when Bynum got injured.
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