LOS ANGELES -- Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks was chosen as the WNBA's most valuable player on Sunday, making her the first to capture All-Star and regular-season MVP honors in the same season.

The 6-foot-5 center averaged 19.5 points -- second-best in the league -- and led the Sparks to a league-best 28-4 record during the regular season.

"What a career, what a player, what a year," league president Val Ackerman said.

Leslie received $25,000 from the league and a new car during a presentation prior to Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.

She received 563 points and 51 first-place votes from a national panel of 60 sports writers and broadcasters, easily outdistancing Houston's Tina Thompson, who had 355 points.

Sacramento's Yolanda Griffith was third with 190 points, Minnesota's Katie Smith had 178 points and New York's Tari Phillips was fifth with 83 votes.

Leslie thanked her teammates, citing Tamecka Dixon, Ukari Figgs, Rhonda Mapp and Mwadi Mabika as those who told her before the season began that they wanted to help her become MVP.

"It's been a great and a long road to win MVP because I started with my trainer back in November. We wrote down a mission statement of what my goals were going to be for this year. To be MVP was at the top of my list," Leslie said.

"It was a lot of hard work and I'm just thankful to receive this award knowing that I actually put in the hard work and knowing that my teammates and the supporting cast that I have really helped me to be in the position to receive this award," she said.

During the season, Leslie became the WNBA's career scoring leader with 2,670 points, overtaking retired Houston star Cynthia Cooper. Leslie finished in the top five in scoring, rebounding (9.6) and blocked shots (2.29) and 16 times had double-figure scoring and rebounding games.

Houston's Sheryl Swoopes received the award last year, but missed this season because of major knee surgery.