NEW YORK – Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls is the winner of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the 2010-11 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award, the NBA announced today. Rose, who does not turn 23 until Oct. 4, becomes the league’s youngest MVP, a distinction previously held by Wes Unseld, who earned the honor in 1968-69 as a 23-year-old.

Rose totaled 1,182 points including 113 first-place votes, from a panel of 120 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada as well as an NBA MVP fan vote. For the second consecutive season, the NBA and Kia Motors America gave fans the opportunity to submit their votes by ranking their top five choices through a dedicated Web page on NBA.com. The fan vote counted as one vote and was compiled with the 120 media votes to determine the winner. Players were awarded 10 points for each first-place vote, seven points for each second-place vote, five for third, three for fourth and one for each fifth-place vote received.

Rounding out the top five in voting are Orlando’s Dwight Howard (643 points, three first place), Miami’s LeBron James (522, four first-place votes), the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant (428, one first-place vote) and Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant (190).

Rose, who became the first player since Steve Nash in 2005 to win the MVP award after not receiving any votes in the previous year’s balloting, led the Bulls to an NBA-best 62-20 mark. The third-year player averaged team highs of 25.0 points and 7.7 assists to go along with 4.1 rebounds. He became the seventh player in NBA history to average at least 25.0 points, 7.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds, joining Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. The All-Star guard made or assisted on at least half of the Bulls’ field goals in 26 games, the highest such total for any NBA player this season.

As part of its support of the Most Valuable Player Award, Kia Motors America will donate a new Kia Sorento CUV to Meals on Wheels Chicago, which provides home-delivered meals services to people in need. Kia Motors will present a brand new Sorento to the charity of choice of each of four 2010-11 season-end award winners as part of the “The Kia NBA Performance Awards.” Following this season, Kia Motors will have donated a total of 16 new vehicles to charitable organizations since its support of the NBA’s prestigious year-end honors began with the 2007-2008 season.

Rose, who recorded 23 double-doubles and scored at least 30 points on 23 occasions after doing so eight times combined in his first two seasons, was the only player in the NBA to rank in the top 10 in scoring (seventh) and assists (10th). Only once in team history had a Bulls player finished in the top 10 in scoring and assists (Michael Jordan, 1988-89). Rose tallied 2,026 points, 623 assists and 330 rebounds, becoming only the fifth player in NBA history to post 2,000 points, 600 assists and 300 rebounds in a single season as he joined Robertson, John Havlicek, Jordan and James.

The NBA MVP trophy is named in honor of the late Maurice Podoloff, the first commissioner of the NBA who served from 1946 until his retirement in 1963.

The 2010-11 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award is part of a series of on-court performance awards called “The Kia NBA Performance Awards.” The series, currently in its fourth season, is a significant part of the multiyear marketing partnership between Kia Motors America and the NBA, and also includes the

Most Improved Player, Defensive Player and Sixth Man Awards. It also includes the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month which are awarded during the regular season. For more information on the “The Kia NBA Performance Awards” visit www.NBA.com/performanceawards.

Attached are the voting results for the 2010-11 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award:

2010-11 KIA NBA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD RESULTS

Player, Team                                       1^st               2^nd              3^rd              4^th          5^th                Total Points

Derrick Rose, Chicago                      113            6                 2                —            —                 1182

Dwight Howard, Orlando                    3                57               31              16           11                643

LeBron James, Miami                          4                26               39              31           12                522

Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers                   1                18               32              40           12                428

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City           —                6                 10              20           38                190

Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas                          —                5                 3                11           30                113

Dwyane Wade, Miami                         —                1                 1                2             6                  24

Manu Ginobili, San Antonio              —                2                 —                —            6                  20

Amar’e Stoudemire, New York          —                —                1                —            4                  9

Blake Griffin, L.A. Clippers               —                —                1                —            —                 5

Rajon Rondo, Boston                          —                —                1                —            —                 5

Tony Parker, San Antonio                  —                —                —                1             —                 3

Chris Paul, New Orleans                     —                —                —                —            2                  2

ALL-TIME KIA NBA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD WINNERS

Season  – Player, Team

1955-56 – Bob Pettit, St. Louis
1956-57 – Bob Cousy, Boston
1957-58 – Bill Russell, Boston
1958-59 – Bob Pettit, St. Louis
1959-60 – Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia
1960-61 – Bill Russell, Boston
1961-62 – Bill Russell, Boston
1962-63 – Bill Russell, Boston
1963-64 – Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati
1964-65 – Bill Russell, Boston
1965-66 – Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia
1966-67 – Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia
1967-68 – Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia
1968-69 – Wes Unseld, Baltimore
1969-70 – Willis Reed, New York
1970-71 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee
1971-72 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee
1972-73 – Dave Cowens, Boston
1973-74 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee
1974-75 – Bob McAdoo, Buffalo
1975-76 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles
1976-77 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles
1977-78 – Bill Walton, Portland
1978-79 – Moses Malone, Houston
1979-80 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles
1980-81 – Julius Erving, Philadelphia
1981-82 – Moses Malone, Houston
1982-83 – Moses Malone, Philadelphia
1983-84 – Larry Bird, Boston
1984-85 – Larry Bird, Boston
1985-86 – Larry Bird, Boston
1986-87 – Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers
1987-88 – Michael Jordan, Chicago
1988-89 – Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers
1989-90 – Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers
1990-91 – Michael Jordan, Chicago
1991-92 – Michael Jordan, Chicago
1992-93 – Charles Barkley, Phoenix
1993-94 – Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston
1994-95 – David Robinson, San Antonio
1995-96 – Michael Jordan, Chicago
1996-97 – Karl Malone, Utah
1997-98 – Michael Jordan, Chicago
1998-99 – Karl Malone, Utah
1999-00 – Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers
2000-01 – Allen Iverson, Philadelphia
2001-02 – Tim Duncan, San Antonio
2002-03 – Tim Duncan, San Antonio
2003-04 – Kevin Garnett, Minnesota
2004-05 – Steve Nash, Phoenix
2005-06 – Steve Nash, Phoenix
2006-07 – Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
2007-08 – Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers
2008-09 – LeBron James, Cleveland
2009-10 – LeBron James, Cleveland
2010-11 – Derrick Rose, Chicago

About Kia Motors America
Kia Motors America (KMA) is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 730 dealers throughout the United States and serves as the “Official Automotive Partner of the NBA.” In 2010, KMA recorded its best-ever U.S. sales and 16th consecutive year of increased U.S. market share. Kia is poised to continue its momentum and will continue to build the brand through design innovation, quality, value, safety features and new technologies.

Information about Kia Motors America and its full vehicle line-up is available at its Web site – www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com.