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Lakers’ Kobe Bryant is 2007-2008 NBA MVP
Love him or hate him, Kobe Bryant has dominated the NBA scene the past few years as an L.A. Laker. If you don’t live in Los Angeles or if you’re a huge Shaq fan, chances are you hate him - those of you in Denver also. But the people in L.A…. you can bet they love him.
At this point, I think Kobe is cool w/ all the hate too…. Why? Because the league’s voters just showed their love by voting Kobe Bryant the league’s MVP for the 2007-2008 NBA season.
Bryant received 82-first-place votes and 1,105 points in the media vote. He was followed by New Orleans’ Chris Paul (28 and 889), Boston’s Kevin Garnett (15 and 670) and Cleveland’s LeBron James (1 and 438).
The MVP award is a first for Bryant, and in many ways, may help solidify him as one of the greatest to ever play the game. Yes, he has 3 NBA Championships, multiple scoring titles and countless NBA highlights to his name, but without an MVP award, Kobe would never be more than Shaq’s teammate during a great run w/ the Lakers.
The recognition by his peers helps Kobe ascend to the next level of NBA heroes. He hasn’t won the same number as Magic Johnson, Kareem, Michael Jordan or even Steve Nash, but he doesn’t have to - winning one MVP award is enough for Kobe to believe he has reached the same status as previous NBA greats.
Of course, this year’s Kobe is a far cry from the ball-hogging version we’ve seen in the past. He actually involves his teammates - something that finally took MJ over the top - could this be the year Bryant climbs the mountain also? Here’s what Kobe Bryant had to say:
“It’s Hollywood, it’s a movie script. The perfect ending would be for us to hold a championship trophy at the end of it,” Bryant said at a news conference attended by his teammates, club officials, his wife and two daughters.
“This is an award I couldn’t have won on my own. I can’t thank these guys [his teammates] enough. These are my guys, these are my brothers. Let’s get ready for tomorrow.”
Statistically, this certainly was not Kobe’s best year - he averaged 35.4 points per game in the 2005-2006 season and lost the MVP to Suns guard Steve Nash - Bryant finished 4th in voting that year. He’s averaged higher numbers in virtually every statistic more than once before, but it’s the level of team involvement that finally helped win voters over. Winning the tough Western Conference also helped 
Kobe owes a lot of credit to the recently acquired Pau Gasol, who we’re still trying to figure out who traded him for a pack of cards & stick of gum. The Lakers’ GM should also be given some credit for keeping Kobe and not trading him, despite Bryant’s demands during the summer. He is now surrounded by a group of contributors who understand their roles on the team, but also by real teammates - people who Bryant has shown trust in this year.
Take the opportunity now, to get a Kobe Bryant jersey. He’s already among the NBA’s top-selling jerseys, but his jersey will be in even higher demand now that he’s won the MVP award.
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