CHICAGO -- Kevin Durant is still chasing the most coveted prize in his sport -- a championship -- but he took home the highest individual award pro basketball can offer -- the KIA NBA Most Valuable Player trophy,
The 6-foot-9 OKC Thunder forward, a 5-time All-Star and 4-time scoring champion, received 1,232 points and 119 first-place votes from a panel of sportswriters who voted for the accolade.
LeBron James, the reigning MVP and winner of four of the last five MVP awards, was a distant second with 891 points and six first-place votes. Los Angeles Clipper Blake Griffin finished in third place, Chicago Bull Joakim Noah was fourth, and Houston Rocket James Harden was fifth.
Durant played 81 games in the 2013-14 regular season, averaging 32 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists per outing. Durant guided the Thunder to a 59-23 record and he went on a 41-game streak where he scored at least 25 points per.
"I'm a little nervous today," Durant told a crowd that attended the awards ceremony at the Thunder Events Center in Oklahoma City. He thanked his teammates profusely and especially his mom who he called his "MVP."
"I have bigger goals in mind, but I never take things like this for granted," Durant added. (Homer D. Sayson)
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