LeBron James

It became official on Monday April 4th in the afternoon as Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James has been named the winner of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the 2008-09 NBA Most Valuable Player presented by Kia Motors.

James received a total of 1,172 points, including 109 first-place votes out of a possible 121, from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Players were awarded 10 points for each first-place vote, seven points for each second-place vote, five points for each third-place, three points for each fourth-place vote, and one point for each fifth-place vote received.

James becomes the first player in Cavaliers franchise history to receive the award after leading the Cavaliers to an NBA and franchise-best 66-16 (.805) record. He averaged 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.69 steals and a career-best 1.15 blocks in 37.7 minutes per game.

• Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week on seven occasions, becoming the only player in the history of the award to win it seven times in a season.



• Named an Eastern Conference All-Star starter with nearly 3 million total votes. Scored a team-high 20 points and added five rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes for the East. The two-time All-Star Game MVP is only one of four players to have been selected as a starter in each of the last five All-Star Games.



• Awarded Eastern Conference Player of the Month for November, January, March and April. In 15 games during November, James led the Cavs to a franchise-best 13-2 record during November with averages of 28.6 points and 6.2 assists. He averaged 27.5 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.1 assists in 14 games during January, becoming the first player since Larry Bird in March 1987 to average at least those numbers for an entire month.



• James was named the recipient of the NBA Community Assist Award for June 2008, in recognition of his outstanding efforts in the community and for his ongoing philanthropic and charitable work. He was honored in part for the success of his third annual "King for Kids Bike-A-Thon," in Akron, Ohio. The event raised more than $150,000 for three local non-profit organizations - the LeBron James Family Foundation, the Akron Area YMCA and the Akron Urban League.