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“Yes, I snubbed Michael Jordan” – Chicago journalist defended picking Karl Malone for the 1997 MVP
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- “Yes, I snubbed Michael Jordan” – Chicago journalist defended picking Karl Malone for the 1997 MVP
After 12 seasons and 10 consecutive All-Star appearances, Karl Malone finally broke through. The Utah Jazz power forward edged Michael Jordan for the league MVP by 11 first-place votes. It was the first of Malone's two NBA MVPs and the rarest, considering MJ was still dominating the league.
For Chicago Bulls fans, the results were a hard pill to swallow. Phil Jackson suggested voter fatigue was the only reason why Malone won the award. The Bulls won 69 games that season and His Airness still paced the league in scoring and win shares.
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What made it even more contentious was that one of Windy City's own voted for The Mailman. Even though he knew his choice would raise eyebrows, Chicago Tribune's Terry Armor backed his stance with solid statistics and a case that went beyond picking the better team.
Malone deserved it
The Jazz had been one of the West's dark horses for years. Led by Malone and John Stockton, Utah made the playoffs year after year. However, the squad couldn't get the monkeys off their backs for the most part, losing in the Conference Finals three times before 1997 and getting bounced out of the first round on six occasions.
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The 1996-97 season, however, was different. The Jazz won a franchise-record 64 games and Malone showed he was more in control. He averaged 27.4 points, his highest scoring output in five years. Then again, the Mailman showed more than just putting the ball in the basket, as Armour argued.
"Yes, I snubbed Michael Jordan. Yes, I voted for Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone as the NBA's Most Valuable Player," Armour wrote in an opinion piece. "I've got my reasons for choosing Malone, and up until now I was keeping them to myself. But since this has turned into such a big deal in Chicago, I have no choice but to explain."
As the veteran journalist noted, Malone's entire body of work was hard to ignore. He placed second behind MJ in scoring, 11th in rebounding, sixth in field goal percentage, played in all 82 games, and made his first All-NBA Defensive First Team.
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But for Armour, what separated Malone from Jordan was the former's stronger end to the season. Plus, "King Karl" averaged more dimes than MJ, which was something remarkable given the fact that Malone was a power forward.
"In the 34 games after the All-Star break, Jordan averaged 28 points and 6.17 rebounds and shot 48 percent. In Utah's 35 games after the break, Malone averaged 28.4 points and shot 58 percent," Armour continued. "I'll give you the argument that Malone's field-goal percentage was higher because he is a power forward who plays around the basket. But nonetheless, Malone's numbers make his case."
"If anybody claims the statistics are too close not to give Jordan the nod, let's use assists as a tiebreaker: Malone, from his power forward position, averaged a career-high 4.5 assists to Jordan's 4.3," he stated.
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Jordan had the last laugh
MJ had been in this situation before. Charles Barkley won one over him in 1993, a race where he placed third behind the Chuckster and Hakeem Olajuwon . But as in '93, Jordan made sure he got the last laugh by winning the title.
1997 was no different. Although Mike was as gracious as ever , congratulating Malone on his achievement, he admitted that losing the MVP award motivated him in the Finals. In typical MJ fashion, he was even better against the Jazz than he was in the regular season. Jordan averaged 32/7/6 and bagged his fifth Finals MVP in the process.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Sep 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
