Jordan Chosen MVP; Drexler Is Second

Michael Jordan, overcoming what he called a season full of “individual adversity,” was chosen the NBA’s most valuable player for the 1991-92 season.

Jordan, who led the defending champion Chicago Bulls to an NBA-best 67-15 record that also was the best in franchise history, received 80 of 96 first-place votes and 900 points from a nationwide panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

He is the seventh player to win the award at least three times.

Portland’s Clyde Drexler finished second with 12 first-place votes and 561 points. San Antonio’s David Robinson was third with two firsts and 337 points.

Among other problems, Jordan was the focus of some criticism after the release of the book “The Jordan Rules,” detailing the Bulls’ championship season. Jordan also was criticized for not joining his teammates during a visit to the White House, and his image suffered from reports of losing large sums of money playing golf.

Jordan, who also was MVP last year and in 1987-88, won his sixth consecutive scoring title this season with a 30.1 average. He was sixth in the NBA in steals with 2.28 per game, shot 51.9% from the field and 83.2% from the free-throw line.

The other players who have won at least three MVP awards are Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. They are the only others to win the award in consecutive years.