Unstoppable at both ends of the floor this season, LeBron James claimed the league MVP yesterday, receiving the award in the Akron, Ohio high school gym where he first emerged on the national scene.

"This is a place where all my dreams started and where I thought they could become real," James said in accepting the award at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. "There's really not a better place."

The Cleveland Cavaliers star won what some expected to be a close vote in a slam dunk. He received 109 of a possible 121 first-place votes to easily outdistance Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. James totaled 1,172 points in balloting by media members in the United States and Canada.

Bryant, last year's winner, got two first-place votes and finished with 698 points. Miami guard Dwyane Wade was third with 680 points and was named first on seven ballots.

Orlando center Dwight Howard (328) was fourth followed by New Orleans guard Chris Paul (192).

James averaged 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists this season, his sixth as a pro.

ELSEWHERE

Nuggets: Denver forward Kenyon Martin was fined $25,000 by the NBA for knocking Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki to the court in the opener of their second-round playoff series. Martin was also assessed a flagrant foul 1 for the contact, which occurred with about 6 minutes left in the first quarter of Sunday's game.