Since its inception in 1954….Sports Illustrated magazine has annually presented the Sportsman of the Year Award to “the athlete or team whose performance that year most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement” ….whereby both Americans and non-Americans are eligible….athough in the past the vast majority of winners have been from the United States.
Both men and women have won the award, originally called “Sportsman of the Year” and renamed “Sportswoman of the Year” or “Sportswomen of the Year” when applicable….which it is currently known as “Sportsperson of the Year.”
Former 1961 Sportsman of the Year basketball star Jerry Lucas was the person who introduced the candidates from the universe of basketball for the 1984 award…..which included Lakers Kareem Abdule Jabbar, Knicks Benard King, Celtics Larry Bird and North Carolina Tar Heels Michael Jordan.
