Bryant led his LA Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference and the team improved upon its record from last year with an increase of 15 wins. He was rewarded for his efforts this season by being selected the league’s top player with 82 first place votes and 1105 total points. (link) Coming in second was New Orleans Hornets All-Star point guard Chris Paul who garnered 28 first place votes and 889 total points. The vote ended up not being as close as some “experts” first thought. Bryant is the fourth LA Laker to be named league MVP and is looking to lead his team back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2003-2004. The three other Los Angeles Lakers to win the NBA MVP award are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ervin “Magic” Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal.
Kobe’s first MVP award is the culmination of an already decorated career that includes 3 NBA World Championships, named to the First Team All-NBA Team 5 times, named to the First Team All Defensive Team 5 times, selected to the NBA All-Star Team 10 consecutive times, 2 time NBA All-Star MVP, 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Champion and 2 time NBA Scoring Champion. (link) With no signs of slowing down, the future of both Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers looks bright for years to come.Also, if you haven't seen the very cool Nike commercial for Kobe's Hyperdunk Shoes where he jumps over a speeding Aston Martin you should really check it out below: