Michael Jordan is regarded as the greatest player of all time and his 1996 performances might be his greatest season yet. His Airness put forth the most complete season in NBA history by winning multiple individual awards and also the coveted NBA championship.
- The Best Scorer In The NBA
- The Star Of The All-Star Game And League MVP
- The Leader Of A 72-Win Team
- Jordan’s 4th Ring and 4th Finals MVP
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Michael Jordan also made history on more than one occasion in 1996, as he put forth a perfect season for the ages. It is hard to find a season by any top player that will usurp what Michael Jordan did in 1996 because of four massive factors. Quite simply, there will never be a player greater than Michael Jordan because a season like His Airness accomplished in 1996 will likely never be repeated.
The Best Scorer In The NBA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsNiCwlryIg
When people think of Michael Jordan on the basketball court, the first thing that comes to mind is his scoring ability. There isn’t a player who dominated the scoring charts as Jordan did with the Bulls, and he captured his ninth overall scoring title in 1996.
Michael averaged 30.4 PPG on 49.5% from the field, 42.7% from three, and 83.4% from the line in his 10th All-Star season. Jordan was dominant on both ends of the floor, but his second straight scoring title and 8th overall just kicks off one of the reasons why His Airness had the most perfect season in NBA history.
The Star Of The All-Star Game And League MVP
Michael Jordan’s 10th All-Star appearance was a critical one because he managed to capture the All-Star game MVP by dropping 20 points and putting on a show for fans worldwide. It wasn’t enough that Jordan would go on to win the scoring title but he was also the most dominant All-Star in the All-Star Game with his second All-Star Game MVP.
Even more importantly, Michael Jordan was named league MVP. Michael was simply too dominant on both ends of the floor and was the most valuable player to his team. The reason Michael Jordan only MVP was not only by his scoring and his overall numbers but because he led the Chicago Bulls to a historic season that was record-breaking up until the 2016 Golden State Warriors. Averaging 30.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4.3 APG, and 2.2 SPG easily made MJ the MVP of the league.
The Leader Of A 72-Win Team
Michael Jordan was the MVP in the best player for the Chicago Bulls team that finished with the 72-10 regular-season record. The GOAT carried the Bulls all year, as he led the likes of Scottie Pippen, Tony Kukoc, and Dennis Rodman to 72 wins. That record lasted two whole decades and no one would have ever thought that any team could break the Bulls’ incredible record.
Of course, it took 20 years for the Golden State Warriors to break that record with a 73-9 record but Stephen Curry could not achieve what Jordan did on an individual level 20 years prior. The Chicago Bulls were absolutely dominant on defense while Michael Jordan controlled the offense, and they are to this day the most suffocating team to play against.
Jordan’s 4th Ring and 4th Finals MVP
To top off an incredible regular season, Michael Jordan would go on to carry the Bulls to their fourth championship which kickstarted the second three-peat. Jordan averaged 27.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.2 APG, and 1.7 SPG in the Finals against Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, and the Seattle SuperSonics.
Despite being defended by The Glove throughout the series, Jordan was still able to carry the Bulls to a title. Michael wasn’t his normal efficient self by only shooting 41.5% from the field, 31.6% from three, and 83.6% from the stripe. But he was by far the best player in the series and history would be written that the most perfect season in the history of the league would be completed with Jordan lifting his fourth championship.
