Malone ‘Borrows’ Top Prize Jazz Veteran Edges Jordan For Coveted Nba Mvp Award

The way Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz sees his NBA MVP award, it’s strictly a lend-lease affair from four-time winner Michael Jordan.

“I thank Michael for letting me borrow it for one year,” Malone joked Sunday after winning the second closest MVP vote since the media balloting began in 1981.

Malone’s victory margin was 29 points. He received 986 points and 63 first-place votes while the Chicago Bulls star got 957 points and 52 first-place ballots from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The only closer vote came in 1990 when Magic Johnson beat Charles Barkley by 22 points.

He may be borrowing the MVP award but Malone also earned it. He averaged 27.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists, leading Utah to the best record in the conference at 64-18, a franchise record. He was second in scoring, sixth in field goal percentage (.550) and 11th in rebounding.

“To have this trophy after 12 years, really and truly I never thought I’d have the opportunity,” Malone said. “… We won 64 games and I think they looked a lot at that, too.”

“He’s never stopped doing the things we asked him to do,” Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said of Malone. “As great as he’s become, it’s due to hard work. Work has never been something he’s shied away from.”

A 12-year veteran, Malone went over 2,000 points for an NBA record 10th consecutive season and moved ahead of Jerry West into 10th place on the career scoring list. He is one of just five players who have 25,000 points and 10,000 rebounds. The others are Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone and Elvin Hayes.

“He’s played great all year and he came into this year with the attitude that we’re going to take that next step,” Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek said. Malone, 33, is the oldest player to capture the MVP since the NBA began the honor in 1956.

The Jazz open the Western Conference finals tonight against Houston.