LA LAKERS GUARD KOBE BRYANT WINS FIRST MVP AWARD...AND THIS RELATES TO HOOPS IN THE SUN HOW?

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, after being in the league for 12 years, has won his first regular season MVP award. Being regarded as the league's best player but never its most valuable, Bryant finally earned the honor earlier today.

Now, how does Kobe Bryant winning his first regular season MVP relate to Hoops in the Sun?

Well, you can make the arguement that players such as "Primal Fear" Darren Phillip and Rasaun "Crabby" Young have been the league's best players for a number of years, but have yet to win a regular season MVP award.

Young, who has been in the league for six years, had his best individual season back in 2003, came second in the voting to Smush Parker for the MVP award. Phillip, who has been in the league for seven years, had his best individual season in 2005, but was going up against tough competition with eventual winners Will Cadiz and John Strickland.

Young averaged 25ppg in 2003, while Phillip averaged 22ppg and 17rpg in 2005. It is ironic that these two players haven't won the regular season MVP award in their entire HITS career? Even without the MVP award, Young has gone on to win two championships (2005, 2006), while playing in four of the last six championship games, while Phillip has won one championship (2001) and his team has made it to the championship game four years in a row (2004-2007), five in the last seven years.

The last two seasons, the regular season MVP award has been dominated by one man, "Serious Satellite" Kenny Satterfield (Dwight Hardy was Co-MVP in 2007 with Satterfield). Satterfield has made it easy for fans and the league to determine the regular season MVP, averaging 40ppg in back to back seasons (only player to do so), winning the All-Star Game MVP in 2007, breaking the HITS scoring record with 62 points in 2006 and the only player in league history to score over 50 points in back to back games (62 and 59 in 2006).

But will Satterfield three-peat as regular season MVP in 2008? Or will Darren Phillip and Rasaun Young finally get their chance at regular season MVP glory?