t is a virtual certainty that since the award originated in 1954, no athlete has been as popular on a worldwide scale as Jordan is now and, for that matter, has been for the last several years. He has surpassed every standard by which we gauge the fame of an athlete and, with few exceptions, has handled the adulation with preternatural grace and ease that have cut across lines of race, age and gender. Photograph by Manny Millan Text by Jack McCallum By 1991, Michael Jordan was a two-time league MVP. He had led the NBA in scoring for five years and had taken the Bulls to their first NBA championship. The Bulls went on to "three-peat," capturing two more consecutive championships. Jordan retired in 1993, tried his hand at professional baseball, and then returned to the Bulls in 1995. Since then he has led Chicago to a league-record 72-win season and two more NBA crowns.
	Sportsmen of the Year: 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996