PHOENIX - Steve Nash won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award for the second straight year Sunday, beating runner-up LeBron James by a comfortable margin.

	Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash, of Canada, answers reporters' questions during practice in Phoenix, Arizona May 7, 2006. Nash was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player for the second year in a row on Sunday, edging out the Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James. Phoenix will play the Los Angeles Clippers in round two of the NBA Western Conference playoffs beginning May 8 in Phoenix. [AP]

The award was presented Sunday at a news conference at US Airways Center, where Phoenix won Game 7 of its first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.

The Phoenix Suns point guard received 57 first-place votes and 924 points overall from a panel of 125 sports writers and broadcasters in the United States and Canada.

James of Cleveland had 16 first-place votes and 688 points overall. Nash's close friend Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas was third with 14 first-place ballots and 544 overall.

The 32-year-old Nash is the ninth player to win consecutive MVP awards.

Last season, he directed the Suns to an NBA-best 62 victories. This year, the Suns lost Amare Stoudemire to injury and traded Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson. Yet they still won 54 games and a second straight Pacific Division title.

This season, Nash had career highs in scoring (18.8 points), rebounding (4.2), field goal percentage (.512) and free throw percentage (a league-leading .921). He led the league in assists at 10.5 a game and finished sixth in 3-point percentage at 43.9.

Others who have won consecutive MVP awards are Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Moses Malone, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.