WASHINGTON, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Phoenix Suns forward Boris Diaw was named the NBA's Most Improved Player on Monday.

    Diaw earned 80 first-place votes and a total of 489 points from a panel of 124 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.

    David West of the Hornets finished second in the balloting, earning 22 first-place votes and 283 total points. New Jersey's Nenad Krstic was third in the voting with 65 points and Gerald Wallace of Charlotte was fourth with 46 points.

    Diaw averaged career highs of 13.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists for the Suns this past season, well above his two-year career numbers of 4.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists with the Atlanta Hawks.

    The Hawks dealt Diaw to Phoenix in August 2005 as part of the Joe Johnson trade.

    Diaw scored in double figures just 14 times in 142 games when he played for the Hawks. He accomplished that feat 61 times this regular season.

    The last Phoenix player to win the Most Improved Player honor was Kevin Johnson in 1988-89. Enditem