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LOS ANGELES, US - LOS Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has won the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the first time, the Los Angeles Times reported on Saturday.
The newspaper, citing anonymous sources familiar with the result of the media vote, said commissioner David Stern would present the trophy to Bryant in Los Angeles next week.
Lakers officials said they had not been contacted by the league about the award selected by NBA writers and broadcasters which would mark Bryant's first MVP trophy after 12 seasons.
Long regarded as one of the league's top players, the 29-year-old this year led the Lakers to the number one spot in the Western Conference. The team tips off against the Utah Jazz on Sunday in the conference semi-finals.
The All Star guard averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.84 steals during the regular season. He also averaged 33.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists in leading the Lakers to a first round sweep over the Denver Nuggets.
Bryant, who helped the Lakers win three consecutive championships between 2000 and 2002 has relished playing this year on a stronger team, which is pushing for its first NBA finals appearance in four years.
'We have a lot of players that can step in at any given moment and make contributions,' he told reporters this week. 'My guys knock down shots now. I just do whatever we have to do to win.'
The closest Bryant had previously come to the MVP award was third place after the 2002-03 season and again last year.
He would be the fourth Laker to win the award, following Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Shaquille O'Neal. - REUTERS
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