LeBron takes 2013 Kia Most Valuable Player award

LeBron James of the Miami Heat is the winner of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the 2012-13 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, the NBA announced today. James earns the honor for the second consecutive year and the fourth time in five seasons. The only other player to win the award in four of five seasons is Bill Russell (1961, 62, 63, 65), and the only other players to win at least four regular-season MVPs are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan (five), Russell (five) and Wilt Chamberlain (four).

James totaled 1,207 points, including 120 first-place votes, from a panel of 121 voters that consisted of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada as well as an NBA.com MVP fan vote. For the fourth consecutive season, the NBA and Kia Motors America gave fans the opportunity to submit their votes by ranking their top five choices through a dedicated Web page on NBA.com. The fan vote counted as one vote and was compiled with the 120 media votes to determine the winner. Players were awarded 10 points for each first-place vote, seven points for each second-place vote, five for each third-place vote, three for each fourth-place vote and one for each fifth-place vote received.

Rounding out the top five in voting are Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant (765 points), the New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony, (475 points, one first-place vote), the Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul (289 points), and the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant (184 points).

James, who led the Heat to a league-best and franchise-record 66-16 mark, was the only player in the NBA to lead his team in scoring (26.8 ppg), rebounding (8.0 rpg) and assists (7.3 apg). He shot a career-high from the field (.565) and from three-point range (.406). He produced a record streak of six straight games with at least 30 points and a .600-or-better field goal percentage (Feb. 3-12). Additionally, James led the NBA score differential (+9.5) and player impact estimate (22.1 percent), according to NBA.com/Stats.

James scored 2,036 points, in the process becoming the youngest player in NBA history to post eight different 2,000-point seasons, and the youngest player to reach the 20,000-point plateau. Additionally, he became only the third player in NBA history to total at least 2,000 points, 600 rebounds, 500 assists and 100 steals during a single season, and only the second player to do so more than once after eclipsing those totals in 2008-09. Larry Bird accomplished the feat three times (1984-85, 1985-86 and 1986-87) and Jordan achieved it once (1988-89).

The winner of five Kia NBA Player of the Month honors in 2012-13 (October-November, December, January, February, and March), James became the first player in NBA history to receive the honor in five straight months during a single season. He was named Player of the Week five times (Nov. 11, Nov. 18, Dec. 23, Feb. 10, and March 24).

The NBA MVP trophy is named in honor of the late Maurice Podoloff, the first commissioner of the NBA who served from 1946 until his retirement in 1963.

As part of its support of the Most Valuable Player Award, Kia Motors America (KMA) will donate a new 2014 Kia Sorento LX CUV to the Akron Public School After School Program benefitting the Wheels for Education Program. This marks the fourth new vehicle that Kia Motors has donated to charity on behalf of James, including previous donations to the Urban League of Akron (2009), the SUMMA Foundation (2010), and the Akron Public School After School Program benefiting the Wheels for Education Program (2012). Kia Motors presented a Sorento to the charity of choice of each of five 2012-13 season-end award winners as part of "The Kia NBA Performance Awards." Following this season, Kia Motors has now donated a total of 26 new vehicles to charitable organizations since its support of the NBA's prestigious season-end honors began in 2008.

The 2012-13 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award is part of a series of on-court performance awards called "The Kia NBA Performance Awards." The series, currently in its sixth season, is part of a multiyear marketing partnership between KMA and the NBA, and includes five of the league's most prestigious season-end honors: Most Valuable Player Award, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man Award, Most Improved Player Award, and Rookie of the Year. For the first time, the series also included the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month during the regular season. Kia Motors is the Official Automotive Partner of the NBA and the Kia Optima is the league's Official Vehicle. For more information on "The Kia NBA Performance Awards" visit NBA.com/Awards.

Courtesy of NBA.com.