NBA: LeBron James selected as USA Basketball's Male Athlete of the Year

As a capper to a sensational 2012, LeBron James was named USA Basketball's 2012 Male Athlete of the Year, after winning a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics, the NBA's MVP award, and an NBA championship, all within a span of 365 days.

James, currently a member of the Miami Heat, became just the second player in USA Basketball history to accomplish such a hat-trick, with the other being NBA legend Michael Jordan.

“It’s an honor that I have been named the 2012 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year,” James said in a statement released by USA Basketball. “It’s always an honor to represent my country. I never do it to be recognized or to receive an award, I do it because I love my country and the game of basketball. It is an honor to be recognized with this award, it’s humbling.”

According to the press release, the award was established in 1980 "to recognize a USA Basketball athlete who, during the year of the award, made a significant impact on the success of his team's performance."

The board of directors of USA Basketball selects the annual recipients of the award.

Last year's awardee is current high school player Jabari Parker, who recently committed to play for Duke University in the NCAA, for helping the American Under-17 team win gold in Lithuania.

The last NBA player to win the award was Kevin Durant in 2010, for his pivotal role on the USA team that won gold in that year's FIBA World Championship. - AMD, GMA News