1996-97 NBA season
- Champion team: Chicago Bulls |
- Season MVP: Karl Malone |
- Scoring leader: Michael Jordan
1996-97 NBA season Finals, awards and best players
NBA Finals 1997
NBA Champion: Chicago Bulls
NBA Finals: Utah Jazz (W) 2 Chicago Bulls (E) 4
NBA Finals MVP: Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls)
Main players: Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Ron Harper (Chicago Bulls), Karl Malone, John Stockton, Jeff Hornacek (Utah Jazz).
Best players for the 1996-97 NBA season
Regular Season MVP: Karl Malone (Utah Jazz).
All-NBA first team: Tim Hardaway (Miami Heat), Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls), Grant Hill (Detroit Pistons), Karl Malone (Utah Jazz), Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets).
All-NBA second team: Gary Payton (Seattle SuperSonics), Mitch Richmond (Sacramento Kings), Glen Rice (Charlotte Hornets), Scottie Pippen (Chicago Bulls), Patrick Ewing (New York Knicks).
All-NBA third team: John Stockton (Utah Jazz), Penny Hardaway (Orlando Magic), Vin Baker (Milwaukee Bucks), Anthony Mason (Charlotte Hornets), Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers).
SEASON STATS LEADERS
| Category | Player | Pos. | Team | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Michael Jordan | G/F | Chicago Bulls | 29.6 |
| Rebounds | Dennis Rodman | PF/SF | Chicago Bulls | 16.1 |
| Blocks | Shawn Bradley | C | Dallas Mavericks | 3.4 |
| Assists | Mark Jackson | PG/SG | Denver Nuggets | 11.4 |
| Steals | Mookie Blaylock | PG | Atlanta Hawks | 2.7 |
| Efficiency | Karl Malone | PF | Utah Jazz | 28.9 |
| 3-point field goals | Reggie Miller | SG | Indiana Pacers | 229 |
NBA Sixth Man: John Starks (New York Knicks).
Most Improved Player: Isaac Austin (Miami Heat).
PLAYERS WITH THE BEST STATS IN THE 1996-97 REGULAR SEASON
| PLAYER | GP | MP | RB | AS | ST | TO | BK | PTS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karl Malone | 82 | 0.4 | 10.54/19.16 | 55.0 | 0.00/0.16 | 0.0 | 6.35/8.41 | 75.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Michael Jordan | 82 | 0.5 | 11.22/23.07 | 48.6 | 1.35/3.62 | 37.3 | 5.85/7.02 | 83.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| Grant Hill | 80 | 0.5 | 7.81/15.74 | 49.6 | 0.13/0.41 | 31.7 | 5.63/7.91 | 71.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Chris Webber | 72 | 0.5 | 8.39/16.21 | 51.8 | 0.83/2.10 | 39.5 | 2.46/4.35 | 56.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Anthony Mason | 73 | 0.6 | 5.93/11.30 | 52.5 | 0.01/0.04 | 25.0 | 4.37/5.86 | 74.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Hakeem Olajuwon | 78 | 0.5 | 9.32/18.28 | 51.0 | 0.06/0.21 | 28.6 | 4.50/5.72 | 78.7 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Patrick Ewing | 78 | 0.5 | 8.40/17.21 | 48.8 | 0.03/0.12 | 25.0 | 5.63/7.46 | 75.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Vin Baker | 78 | 0.5 | 8.10/16.04 | 50.5 | 0.19/0.69 | 27.5 | 4.59/6.68 | 68.7 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Gary Payton | 82 | 0.5 | 8.61/18.07 | 47.6 | 1.45/4.63 | 31.3 | 3.10/4.33 | 71.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Scottie Pippen | 82 | 0.5 | 7.90/16.66 | 47.4 | 1.90/5.17 | 36.8 | 2.49/3.55 | 70.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
Best defensive players for the 1996-97 season
Defensive Player of the Year: Dikembe Mutombo (Atlanta Hawks).
All-Defensive first team: Gary Payton (Seattle SuperSonics), Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls), Scottie Pippen (Chicago Bulls), Karl Malone (Utah Jazz), Dikembe Mutombo (Atlanta Hawks).
All-Defensive second team: John Stockton (Utah Jazz), Mookie Blaylock (Atlanta Hawks), Anthony Mason (Charlotte Hornets), P.J. Brown (Miami Heat), Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets).
Best rookies for the 1996-97 season
Rookie of the Year: Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers).
All-Rookies first team: Stephon Marbury (Minnesota Timberwolves), Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers), Shareef Abdur-Rahim (Vancouver Grizzlies), Antoine Walker (Boston Celtics), Marcus Camby (Toronto Raptors).
All-Rookies second team: Matt Maloney (Houston Rockets), Kerry Kittles (New Jersey Nets), Ray Allen (Milwaukee Bucks), Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), Travis Knight (Los Angeles Lakers).
Players of the Month and Players of the Week in the 1996-97 season
PLAYERS OF THE MONTH
| Month | Player |
|---|---|
| November | Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) |
| December | Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers) |
| January | Grant Hill (Detroit Pistons) |
| February | Glen Rice (Charlotte Hornets) |
| March | Karl Malone (Utah Jazz) |
| April | Kevin Johnson (Phoenix Suns) |
Players of the Week: Charles Barkley (Houston Rockets), Terrell Brandon (Cleveland Cavaliers), Dale Ellis (Denver Nuggets), Patrick Ewing (New York Knicks), Tim Hardaway (Miami Heat), Grant Hill (Detroit Pistons) (2), Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers), Kevin Johnson (Phoenix Suns), Karl Malone (Utah Jazz) (3), Terry Mills (Detroit Pistons), Alonzo Mourning (Miami Heat), Dikembe Mutombo (Atlanta Hawks), Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets), Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers), Scottie Pippen (Chicago Bulls), Glen Rice (Charlotte Hornets) (2), Mitch Richmond (Sacramento Kings), Glenn Robinson (Milwaukee Bucks), Loy Vaught (Los Angeles Clippers), Chris Webber (Washington Bullets).
1997 NBA All-Star Game players
WESTERN CONFERENCE
EASTERN CONFERENCE
* Player was selected but he could not play the game
All-Star Game MVP: Glen Rice (Charlotte Hornets).
More awards
Citizenship award: P.J. Brown (Miami Heat).
Sportsmanship award: Terrell Brandon (Cleveland Cavaliers).