Malone To Win 2nd MVP Award

May 22, 1999 / 10:11 PM EDT / AP

Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz has won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award, The Salt Lake City Tribune reported Saturday.

The Tribune, which did not attribute the source of its story, said Malone outpolled Miami center Alonzo Mourning in the voting by 118 media members who cover the NBA.

The award will be formally announced in late May or early June.

The MVP award would be the second in three years for Malone, who averaged 23.8 points and 9.4 rebounds while helping the Jazz to a 37-13 record in the regular season. Utah currently trails Portland 2-1 in the second round of the playoffs.

Malone won the MVP in 1997 before finishing second to Chicago's Michael Jordan last season.

"I haven't heard anything," Malone told The Tribune Friday. "But if it happens, it would be a great honor. It's not my biggest worry right now. We're still trying to get to the next round (of the playoffs). But if it happens, I would say it's for the fans of Utah, who supported me during kind of a tough year, and for my teammates."

Jazz officials would not comment on the MVP vote because the league has not announced the winner. The voting for all NBA awards was completed earlier this month.

Seven players have won three or more MVP awards, led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with six. Jordan (five), Bill Russell (five), Chamberlain (four), Moses Malone (three), Larry Bird (three) and Magic Johnson (three) are also on that list.