Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award on Tuesday, receiving 82 first-place votes. This is Kobe’s first MVP award. New Orleans’ guard Chris Paul finished second in the voting with 28 first-place votes. Boston forward Kevin Garnett earned 15 first-place votes for third place, and Cleveland’s LeBron James finished fourth, receiving one first-place vote. As reported by ESPN:

“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.”

On Wednesday, Kobe and the Lakers will attempt to gain a 2-0 lead over the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference semifinal. Commissioner David Stern will present Bryant with the MVP trophy before the game.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who coached Shaquille O’Neal when he won the MVP award in 2000, as well as five-time MVP award winner Michael Jordan, had this to say of Bryant: “I don’t know anybody who’s ever deserved this trophy more. I don’t know anybody who’s ever worked as hard to accomplish what he’s accomplished.”

Bryant played in all 82 of the Lakers games this season, despite injuring his right pinkie finger in February. Kobe opted to play through the pain, and have surgery after the Olympics. On the season, Bryant averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

This difference in Kobe’s game this year, compared to past years, is that he is taking less shots and getting his teammates more involved. His 6.3 assists per game were his highest average since the 2002-03 season, and his 20.6 shots per game were the lowest since the 2004-05 season.

Brian Shaw, who played with Kobe Bryant in Los Angels from 1993-03, has noticed a difference in Kobe’s game this season, as well.

“He’s a much better teammate now than he was in the championship days. That’s a credit to his maturation. There were definitely times when he was not a good teammate. No one worked harder than he did. The same is true today.” Shaw said.

“In terms of connecting with his teammates off the court, he didn’t do that very much. Now, from what I hear, he goes out to dinner with them all the time. Who knows? Maybe he likes these teammates better than us,” Shaw added with a laugh.

Last May, Kobe became upset with the direction the Lakers were moving in, and demanded a trade. Bryant nearly became a Chicago Bull, but trade talks fell through.

After the Lakers exhausted all of other options, Kobe backed off of his demands, and remained a Laker.

The 2007-08 season saw Lamar Odom bounce back after a 2006-07 injury shortened year. 20-year-old Andrew Bynum began to have a breakout season before a knee injury effectively ended his season.

Then, in February, the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol from Memphis for two first-round picks and bench players.

Now, the Lakers are the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and are just seven wins short of the NBA Finals. Kobe has been there for it all this season, and arguably, now has a legitimate shot at his fourth NBA Title to go along with his newest piece of hardware; his first MVP award.

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