Michael Jordan has a laundry list of a resume.
No.23 for the Chicago Bulls went a perfect 6-0 in NBA Finals, scooping six Finals MVPs in the process.
Jordan is considered the greatest basketball player of all time‘His Airness’ was also a fourteen-time All-Star and eleven-time All-NBA member, ten of which were First-Team honors.
But perhaps Jordan’s greatest on-court achievement was winning both the scoring title and Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award in the same season.
MJ was an offensive phenom (he won a record ten scoring titles), but many forget his defensive prowess, making a staggering nine All-Defensive First Teams.
A 25-year-old Jordan won the 1998 Defensive Player of the Year award during an era when big men dominated The Association, speaking to his mettle on the defensive side of the ball.
Mike remains the only player in league history to scoop a scoring title and DPOY in the same season, making it a rare feat many believe will never be replicated.
“Michael Jordan led the NBA in scoring with 35 points a game in 1988,” wrote on fan.
“He was also the Defensive Player of the Year. It’s gonna be a long wait for the next m*********** to come along who’s the best at offense AND defense. And, in case you wondered, he’s the only one to ever do it.”
“Won’t happen,” one fan agreed. “Today’s NBA is a shadow of its formal self. Players load-managing, not doing 4 years of college, etc. Lack of emphasis on defense. I could go on.”
LeBron James has come closest to equalling Jordan’s feat.
‘The King’ was the 2008 scoring champion and twice finished runner-up in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
MJ is the only player in history to win a scoring title and Defensive Player of the Year award in the same season LeBron has come close, but was denied a deserved DPOY award in 2013 by Marc GasolIt first happened in 2009, when James was with the Cleveland Cavaliers and finished second to Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard in a landslide.
Howard received 105 first-place votes and 542 total points from the 119 sports writers and broadcasters who cast ballots; James got four first-place votes and 148 points.
In 2013, LeBron lost by a much narrower margin, finishing second to Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol while with the Miami Heat.
The Spaniard finished with 30 first-place votes and 212 points, while James finished second, with 18 first-place votes and 149 points.
2013 was by far the most controversial slight, though, as Gasol won DPOY without even being nominated for first team All-Defense.
“It kind of stings. I’ve talked about this before,” James said, reflecting on the one award that is missing from his Hall of Fame career. “It’s almost what (Jay-Z) said about (Beyoncé). How could she have the most Grammys, but never won Album of the Year?”
“So the year I finished second in Defensive Player of the Year award, the guy who won Defensive Player of the Year didn’t even make first-team All-Defense.”
“I mean, that’s the only award that I don’t have in my house.”
Giannis came close in 2019-20 but finished fifth in scoringGettyGiannis Antetokounmpo has also come close to replicating rare MJ’s double feat.
The Milwaukee Bucks star won MVP and DPOY in the 2019-20 NBA season but, crucially, did not win the scoring title.
The ‘Greak Freak’ finished fifth in points per game that season, behind James Harden, Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard, and Trae Young.
Many believe MJ’s scoring title-DPOY double whammy to be unbreakable.
Others, however, suggest one young phenom – Victor Wembanyama — has the chance to replicate it.
“Wemby might me able to, he’s gonna be the best defender every year for the next 15 years,” one fan wrote.
“It’s going to be Wemby,” added another.
In just his second season in the league, the 7ft 3in ‘alien’ has already proven himself to be a menace on both sides of the floor.
In 2023, Wemby became the first rookie ever to be named to the All-Defensive First Team. He also won the NBA’s block title, awarded to the player with the highest blocks per game average in a given season.
Fans think Wemby has the best chance of replicating MJ’s featGetty Wembanyama is already one of the best defenders in the league and top 20 in scoringGettyThe 21-year-old is expected to be a perennial DPOY candidate for the next decade plus and, barring injury, should be a multiple-time award winner.
That leaves the scoring title, which may be the more trickier of the two awards for Wembanyama to win.
The San Antonio Spurs center averaged 21.4 points per game during his rookie season. Not bad, but still a way of scoring champion Luka Doncic‘s 33.9 points per game.
This season, Wemby has improved his offensive output, averaging 24.4 point per game.
While that’s only the 16th highest in the league, (OKC star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the league with 31.5 points per game), Wembanyama is one of the youngest players in the top 20 for scoring, and still has plenty of time to improve.
MJ’s single-season DPOY and scoring title double will be difficult to match, but if anyone can it’s the 7-foot phenom wreaking havoc in San Antonio.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( ‘Won’t happen’ – LeBron failed to replicate Michael Jordan’s unique 37-year feat but fans think young star can be man to finally do it )
Also on site :
- Man, 30, charged with murdering woman, 22, killed on A-road in the early hours
- UK airport suddenly shuts with flights cancelled after plane ‘collapses’ during landing with emergency crews scrambled
- JoJo Siwa’s heartbroken ex Kath Ebbs ‘reveals’ dancer ‘fell in love’ with Chris Hughes on CBB as they’re brutally dumped