The Lakers' Magic Johnson was named the official 1988-89 NBA Most Valuable Player today, edging Chicago's Michael Jordan. The Jazz's Karl Malone, who received five of the 85 first-place votes, finished a strong third.
Jazz teammates John Stockton and Mark Eaton were also among the 19 players who received votes from the nationwide media panel. Each voter's ballot listed five MVP choices in order, with scoring on a 10-7-5-3-1 basis. The voting was based on regular-season play and completed before the NBA playoffs started.Johnson received 42 1/2 first-place votes and 664.5 total points to 27 1/2 first-place votes and 598.8 points for Jordan. The voting was the closest since 1981, when Julius Erving won over Larry Bird.
Malone followed with 362 points and New York's Patrick Ewing (200) and Houston's Akeem Olajuwon (179.3) completed the top five.
The official all-NBA team will be announced next week; Malone is expected to be a first-team selection and Stockton is a likely second-team choice.
Johnson finished third in last season's voting, behind Jordan and Bird. He was the MVP only one other time in his 10-year career, in 1987.
Johnson led the NBA with 17 triple doubles this season, and also led the league in free-throw percentage (.911) and also shot .509 from the field, joining Bird as the only players ever to break .500 and .900 in the same year.
Since joining the Lakers, Johnson has played for five NBA championship teams. Trying for a third straight title, they have a 1-0 lead over Phoenix in a Western Conference final series that resumes Tuesday night.
"Magic is the best player around; I don't think there's any question about that," Laker Coach Pat Riley said in a statement. "He's a winner. He does whatever is needed to win."