BASKETBALL:Most Valuable Player LeBron James of the Miami Heat and top scorer Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder headlined the list of players selected yesterday for the All-NBA team.
Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers joined James and Durant on the first team. James, who has won three of the last four league MVP awards, earned first-team honours for a fifth consecutive season and sixth overall since entering the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 2003. The eight-time All-Star ranked third in the NBA in scoring, averaging 27. 1 per game in the 2011-’12 season. Durant gained All-NBA first-team selection for a third time after leading the league in scoring (28 points per game) for a third straight year.
Magic centre Howard, who led the league in rebounding with a career-high average of 14.5 per game, won All-NBA first team honours for a fifth consecutive season. Bryant was chosen for the seventh consecutive season and 10th time in his career while fellow guard Paul gained the honor for a second time.
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