Top 5 scoring seasons of Michael Jordan's NBA career

Michael Jordan has amassed 32,292 points in 1072 career games in the NBA, making him the fifth-highest scorer in the league.

The North Carolina shooting guard was picked third in the NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls in 1984. He played a pivotal role in helping the league gain its popularity, not just in the United States but in many places around the world. In the process, Jordan became a global cultural icon, and became well-known worldwide.

Talented, hardworking, demanding and inspiring are some of the adjectives that have been used to describe Jordan throughout his career. He was a catalyst in the Bulls’ two three-peats, bringing the franchise to heights it had never seen before. He was a prolific scorer, and has a vast trophy room to his name.

On that note, here's a look at his Jordan's highest scoring seasons in his NBA career:

#5 1990-91 - 2,580 pts

Michael Jordan (#23) - Game 2 of NBA Finals 1991

Michael Jordan’s fifth-best scoring season came when the Chicago Bulls won their first championship in 1990-91, beating the Magic Johnson-led LA Lakers convincingly (4-1). Through the season, Jordan scored 2,580 points in 3034 minutes on the floor, making 453 assists, 492 rebounds, 223 steals and 83 blocks.

Michael 'Air' Jordan was named the Most Valuable Player of the league in the same season, averaging 31.5 points per game. His highest scoring night of the 1990-91 season saw him score 42 points. He also won the NBA Finals MVP with a dominating performance in the playoffs, averaging 31.3 points.

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#4 1988-89 - 2,633 pts

In the 1988-89 season, Michael Jordan recorded a career-high 15 triple-doubles and missed just one game in the regular season. Jordan played 24 games in the point guard position that season. He led the league in scoring, with an average of 32.5 points per game.

Along with his 2,633 points, he put up high numbers in the rebounds and assists categories, too, with 652 rebounds and 650 assists that season. The Bulls, though, lost to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals, bringing an end Jordan's spectacular season.

#3 1989-90 - 2,753 pts

At age 26, Michael Jordan recorded his third-best scoring season, doing so in 1989-90. He played 3,197 minutes, featuring in the entire 82-game season. Jordan got his highest individual score of 69 points that season, beating the Cavaliers 117-113.

Following up from his previous season, Jordan led the league in scoring with an average of 33.6 points, shooting 52.6% from the field. Apart from his scoring, he recorded 565 rebounds, 519 assists, 227 steals and 54 blocks.

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#2 1987-88 - 2,868 pts

Leading the league in scoring, Michael Jordan averaged 35 points per game on his way to 2,868 points in the 1987-88 season, Jordan won his first Most Valuable Player award for that season. He also went on to win the MVP in the All-Star game, along with the slam dunk contest that year.

Through the season, he played 3,311 minutes and recorded 449 rebounds, 485 assists, 259 steals and a whopping 131 blocks. In terms of protecting the paint, it was his best season.

At the end of the season, Jordan also won the Defensive Player of the Year award. That made him the only player to win the scoring and defensive titles in the same season.

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#1 1986-87 - 3,041 pts

In the 1986-87 season, Michael Jordan was on a record-setting spree. In his 3,281 clocked minutes, he became the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain to score more than 3000 points in a season. He had a league-high average of 37.1 points per game that campaign.

Along with his scoring exploits, he recorded 430 rebounds, 377 assists, 236 steals and 125 blocks. That campaign, he became the first player in NBA history to record 200 steals and 100 blocks in a single season. Jordan also made his first appearance in the All NBA First Team in 1987 after a record season.