NBA: Kobe Bryant, Lebron James named Players of the Month

LA Laker's Kobe Bryant was named Western Conference Player of the Month and the Miami Heat's Lebron James was his Eastern Conference counterpart, the NBA announced last Friday (Saturday, PHL time) in a press release. The award encompasses the start of the NBA season last December, until the end of January. Bryant, a sixteen-year veteran, averaged 30 points, best in the NBA, along with 6.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists in that span of time, getting his Lakers team to a 13-9 record in the Pacific Division. Along the way, Bryant also broke several NBA and team records. Last January 1, Bryant became the youngest player in NBA history to score 28,000 points. Two weeks later on January 10, he would score a season-high 48 markers, beginning a streak of four straight 40-plus point games. He then passed Jerry West as the team's franchise leader in made free throws on January 28, and a day later, passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the team's franchise leader in made field goals. On the other hand, James, in his ninth year as an NBA pro, normed 29.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists to start the 2011-12 season. Despite an injured Dwyane Wade, Lebron's performance was enough to get his team to 16-5, matching the best start in Heat history. Both Bryant and James were also recently voted to start in this year's NBA All-Star game. It will be Bryant's 14th All-Star game and James' eighth. Also considered for the award were Chicago Bull Derrick Rose, New Jersey's Deron Williams, and the Oklahoma City Thunder pair of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, among others. - Adrian Dy/KBK, GMA News