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¡¡¡¡In one of the closest votes in NBA history, the San Antonio Spurs?Tim Duncan was named Thursday as the winner of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the NBA’sMost Valuable Player for the 2001-02 season.

¡¡¡¡Duncan totaled 954 points and received 57 first-place votes to outdistance the New Jersey Nets?Jason Kidd who collected 897 points and 45 first-place votes. The 57-point difference was the fifth-closest vote since the NBA went to media voting for the 1980-81 season. The Los Angeles Lakers?Shaquille O'eal finished third with 696 points and 15 first-place votes while the Orlando Magic's Tracy McGrady stood fourth with 390 points and seven first-place votes.

¡¡¡¡In his MVP season, Duncan ranked in the NBA's top 10 in five major statistical categories.

¡¡¡¡Duncan led the Spurs to 58 wins en route to their third Midwest Division title during his five-year NBA career. He was the second San Antonio Spurs player to win the MVP, joining teammate David Robinson who captured the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the MVP for the 1994-95 season.

¡¡¡¡After averaging 25.5 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.48 blocks in 82 games this season, Duncan was selected to the All-NBA First Team for the fifth consecutive season, becoming just the sixth player in NBA history to be named First Team in each of his first five seasons. He joins this elite club of Elgin Baylor, Larry Bird, George Mikan, Bob Pettit and Oscar Roberts.