STEPHEN CURRY finished first in a vote by U.S. editors and news directors, with the results released Saturday. He joined LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird as the only basketball players to win the honor in the 85 years of the award. Curry beat out golfer Jordan Spieth, who won two majors, and American Pharoah, who became the first horse since 1978 to win the Triple Crown.

    While American Pharoah got three more first-place votes than Curry’s 24, Curry appeared on 86 percent of the 82 ballots that ranked the top five candidates. More than one-third of the voters left American Pharoah off their list.

    “That’s a real honor,” Curry said. “I’m appreciative of that acknowledgement because it’s across all different sports. ... It’s pretty cool.”

    Curry has become the face of the NBA this past year. His jersey is the bestseller in the league; his team’s games get record television ratings at home and in opposing markets and even his 3-year-old daughter, Riley, became a star by overshadowing her dad at playoff news conferences.

    Even his intricate warm-up routine has become a show for fans who get out early or even sometimes on TV pregame shows. He does an elaborate two-ball dribbling routine, works on passes and shots with both hands, takes jump shots from just inside half court and then caps it with a long-range shot from the tunnel on the way back to the locker room.

    “Steph actually looks different,” ESPN analyst Jalen Rose said. “Like the best player in the league usually is also physically opposing — 6-6 plus, scowl on his face, menacing.

    “With the attitude that we appreciated because like a Michael Jordan or Shaquille O’Neal or Kobe Bryant, you know, just a cutthroat nature. Steph allows us into his living room. We see him on a national stage be a son, a dad, a husband, a father, a brother. And he does all of it while continuing to improve.”

    Curry has improved his scoring from 23.8 points per game to 30.8 — the biggest one-year jump ever by an MVP — prompting Rose to say that Curry could be the most-improved player and repeat as MVP this season in a remarkable tribute to the offseason work he put in even after winning a title.

    He has become more efficient scoring on drives and has amazingly added range to his already record-setting 3-point shooting. Curry can consistently make shots from nine meters out as he is on pace to shatter his own record of 3-pointers made in a season. (SD-Agencies)