There are No Reasons to Deny Kobe Bryant His First League MVP Award

Kobe Bryant has won three NBA championships in his Hall of Fame career. His competitive drive has elevated him to the top of the NBA talent pool. When it comes to the league's MVP award, however, Bryant can't seem to win.

Throughout his twelve-year career, Bryant's MVP bids have been derailed by claims that his team wasn't good enough and that his team was too good. Bryant's lack of popularity with the sports media has also hindered his MVP chances. This year, Bryant has eliminated every excuse and should be crowned MVP.

Long hailed as the best talent in the NBA, Bryant began putting together MVP caliber seasons in 2002-03. His team, the Los Angeles Lakers, were campaigning for their fourth straight NBA championship. Kobe and Shaquille O'neal were the dynamic duo of the NBA. O'neal's season, however, was plagued by a toe injury and a poor work ethic. Bryant took charge and led the Lakers to the NBA playoffs. He did so in amazing fashion by scoring 40 or more points in nine straight games (seven of which were won by the Lakers). The league's MVP award went to Tim Duncan, however. Bryant's MVP chances were hurt by the fact that he played on the same team as Shaquille O'neal.

O'neal and Bryant parted ways after the 2003-04 season. Bryant's star continued to soar. In 2005-06, he had one of the best offensive seasons the league has ever seen. He average over 35 points per game and made everyone in the sports world stop with an incredible 81 point performance. Amazingly, the 81 point game may not have even been his best game of the year. He posted 62 points in only three quarters of work against the Dallas Mavericks. Despite carrying a lackluster Lakers team to the playoffs, Bryant was again denied the MVP. Ironically, the rationale from the sports media this time was that his team wasn't good enough.

As a high profile athlete, Bryant is subjected to large amounts of criticism. They range from 'he shoots too much,' to 'I don't like how he carries himself off the court,' and the most ambiguous argument in sports, 'he doesn't make his teammates better.' This season, Bryant has done everything that even his biggest critics could expect from him. If he is not anointed MVP this year, sportswriters may as well state unequivocally 'we will never give an MVP to Kobe Bryant.'

This year, Kobe has led the Los Angeles Lakers to a top spot in a hotly contested Western Conference. Nobody could have predicted the Lakers' surge near the top of the conference. The young players on the team are playing at the highest level of their NBA careers. Bryant has been a model leader of this young team.

It hasn't been easy. The Lakers have been, perhaps, the most injury plagued team in the league. Aside from Bryant, their top 2 players have missed significant amounts of time. Pau Gasol has only played about 20 games with the Lakers and Andrew Bynum has missed nearly three months with a knee injury. Through it all, the Lakers have remained among the top of the Western Conference.

The Lakers' success can be boiled down to one thing: Kobe Bryant. If he is not the league's MVP this year, he will go down as the greatest player to never win an MVP award, despite being the best player in the league for the better part of a decade.