May 6 (Bloomberg) -- Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers was named the National Basketball Association's Most Valuable Player for the first time after 12 seasons in the league, becoming the fourth member of the franchise to win the award.

The 29-year-old guard helped Los Angeles to the best regular-season record in the Western Conference and led the Lakers to a first-round playoff series sweep of Denver. They lead Utah 1-0 in a best-of-seven second-round matchup.

No other player has spent more seasons in the NBA before winning the MVP than Bryant, who in 1996 became the first guard in league history to be drafted out of high school. Karl Malone also had played 12 seasons when he received the first of his two MVP awards in 1997.

``This is very special day for me. I'm deeply, deeply honored to be here,'' Bryant said at a televised news conference. ``I want to thank my teammates. This isn't an individual award, this is a team award. This gets done because we do it as a unit and I can't thank these guys enough.''

Bryant averaged 28.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists this season, playing all 82 games and dealing with a torn ligament in the little finger on his right hand. Although a hand specialist recommended surgery after the injury in February, Bryant opted to wait until after August's Olympics in Beijing.

Bryant received 82 first-place votes and 1,105 points in balloting by 126 sportswriters and broadcasters in the U.S. and Canada. He beat New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul, who earned 28 first-place votes and 889 points after averaging 21.1 points and a league-best 11.6 assists a game.

Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics was third with 15 first-place votes and 670 points, followed by Cleveland's LeBron James with 438 points, the league said in a press release.

Bryant's Championships

Bryant has led the NBA in scoring twice during his career and teamed with Shaquille O'Neal to help the Lakers win three straight league championships from 2000-02 and reach the NBA Finals in 2003-04.

The team hadn't won another playoff series until this season and Bryant at one point last May requested a trade, saying he was frustrated with the direction of the franchise. He later changed his mind and the Lakers this season bolstered their roster with the acquisition of All-Star forward Pau Gasol.

``It's been one hell of a year,'' Bryant said. ``With us being able to make improvements, play the way we've played, seeing the development of our young players and ultimately winning the Western Conference, it's been a heck of a journey.''

Bryant is leading all scorers in the postseason, averaging 34.4 points a game.

Third Place

Bryant twice finished third in the MVP voting, including last year when he averaged a league-leading 31.6 points per game. Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks won the award last year and two-time MVP Steve Nash of Phoenix was second.

Bryant was also third in voting during the 2002-03 season, when he averaged 30 points.

In 2003, Bryant was accused of raping a 19-year-old woman at a Colorado resort. Criminal charges were dropped after Bryant's accuser declined to testify and a separate civil suit was settled out of court.

Bryant is the fourth Laker to win the MVP award since its inception in 1956, joining O'Neal, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar won a record six MVP awards, three with Los Angeles and three with Milwaukee, while Johnson won three with the Lakers.

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: May 6, 2008 20:47 EDT