Author: mlinh

Jason Kelce is making holiday memories with his little girls.

In an exclusive clip from the family’s 2023 holiday card photo shoot in partnership with Minted, the Philadelphia Eagles center, 36, reads the classic poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore to daughters Bennett, 8 months, Elliotte, 2, and Wyatt, 3.

Wyatt and Bennett listened, perched on mom Kylie Kelce’s lap, with the infant getting adorably distracted playing with mom’s hair. Elliotte sat on her dad’s lap. In the middle of the picture book, the family is startled as they hear “ho, ho, ho!”

“Oh my gosh! That even surprised dad,” Jason said as Santa approached the family of five.

“I came to see you all,” Santa said, stooping down to make eye contact with the kids.

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Jason Kelce and wife Kylie with daughters Wyatt, Bennett, and Elliotte.STEPHANIE BEATTY FOR MINTED

“Oh my goodness,” Elliotte gasped, then collected herself to ask, “Can I have dinosaurs?”

“Well I will do the very best I can for you this year,” Santa said.

Wyatt then chimed in, sharing, “I want Barbie!”

The last scene showed Jason reading his family the last line of the poem, proclaiming, “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!”

Kelce family sharing a laugh.STEPHANIE BEATTY FOR MINTED

Speaking with PEOPLE about the magic of the holiday season, the 31-year-old mom of three said the best part is the joy of “getting all of us together in one spot.”

“Throughout football season, we have a lot of situations where, if there’s a big game or something like that, everyone will be in for the weekend, and that’s awesome. Every so often we luck out and get my mother-in-law and father-in-law in at the same time. Sometimes we get Jason’s aunt and uncle,” she said.

The holidays bring a whole new level of joy and fun to what are already memorable get-togethers.

“Really just the prospect of having everyone descend and have as many Kelces and Blalocks, which is his mom’s side of the family, in the house at the same time, is enough to really brighten your day,” Kylie said.

“Because everyone’s so spread out, it’s really hard to get people together. So to get together, sit down, and enjoy dedicated family time — and to get to enjoy delicious food, the food is top of the charts — it’s just the best thing that that we can have.”

PHOTO: KYKELCE/INSTAGRAM

Jason Kelce is taking in some family time at the beach before football season starts up again.

The Philadelphia Eagles center, 35, recently enjoyed an ice cream treat alongside oldest daughter Wyatt, 3, with the two walking and holding the dessert in the exact same way in a hilarious photo.

“When people say that she looks like me, I’m going to show them this photo…” wife Kylie Kelce, 31, joked in the photo’s caption on her Instagram Story.

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KYKELCE/INSTAGRAM

In another photo from the family outing, Wyatt can be seen enjoying the water after completing her first time in “mascot school.”

The Kelces, who tied the knot in April 2018, are also parents to daughters Bennett Llewellyn, 5 months, and Elliotte, 2.

In May, the Eagles player spoke exclusively with PEOPLE on the set of his Campbell’s Chunky commercial — which also stars his brother, Travis Kelce, and their mom, Donna Kelce — about his love of being a girl dad and how life has been since he and wife welcomed their third baby earlier this year.

JASON KELCE/INSTAGRAM

“I need to knock on wood, but we really lucked out,” said Jason. “It’s really easy, to be honest with you, so we’re still waiting for that shoe to drop.”

Noting how he thinks things may change and get “difficult” once his youngest daughter is “up and actually moving around,” the football star continued, “right now Kylie is attached to Bennett for pretty much the whole day, so my job is the other two running around — and that’s the easy part.”

He added, “I’m having fun with them, throwing them on the sofa. We just got a playground put in out back. So it’s starting to get a lot of fun with the older two, especially.”

While Kylie and Jason Kelce’s daughters may not remember their dad’s time in the NFL, there are a few things that the mom of three is hoping that they’ll hold on to.

Kylie, 32, appeared on Monday’s episode of Today, where she shared that even though her three daughters — Wyatt Elizabeth, 4, Elliotte Ray, 3, and Bennett Llewellyn, 13 months — might be too young to remember Jason’s time playing on the Philadelphia Eagles, she hopes they’ll understand how important he was to the city.

“I think that ultimately, it’s not about them remembering that he played football, it’s all the lessons that he got from football that he then gets to take with him,” said Kylie.

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The proud mom continued, saying that her kids are too young to understand why people come up to their dad and want to take a picture with him.

“But I hope that ultimately they end up understanding that their dad had an impact on Philadelphia in a way that was wholesome and that he understood the city, enough that he wanted to stay there and raise a family there,” she added.

“He gave his blood, sweat and tears to the city and it was out of sheer love and commitment. And I hope that my girls see that.”

Speaking to PEOPLE in February, Kylie revealed that she doesn’t take her daughters to every football game, adding that they didn’t plan on having their girls attend the Super Bowl to cheer on their uncle Travis Kelce in person.

“I think it’s a little bit controversial but even during regular season games, I don’t take the girls to every game. They’re still very young,” she reasoned. “A stadium with thousands of people can be overwhelming and there’s three of them. It can get hectic, it’s just a lot.”

She added that taking them to a public event requires deciding if it’s best for them.

“I love to do things that set them up for success. The thought of traveling cross-country with them [while] Jason’s going to be super busy, and putting them in maybe a stressful environment, isn’t ideal,” she explained. “We think they’ll be much, much happier to see Uncle Trav on the TV because it’ll be easier to see him and they can cheer him on that way.”

“The goal of the day is to just cheer on the Chiefs and make sure that we cheer hard enough that Uncle Trav can feel the energy and he can put that right onto the field.”

Jason Kelce’s got a little movie star on his hands.

Wednesday’s episode of the Philadelphia Eagles center’s podcast with brother Travis Kelce — New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce (Presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment) — begins with an appearance from one of Jason’s three daughters, 2-year-old Elliotte.

Seemingly crashing the recording, Jason sends the toddler back off to wife Kylie Kelce, saying, “Don’t forget your glasses. Oooh, you want to show Uncle Travvy your glasses?”

“She’s stylin’?” Travis, 33, asks.

“Movie star!” Jason declares as he picks up the toddler, who appears on camera smiling in daisy-framed white sunglasses.

“I love it!” Travis says, pumping his fists as Jason sets her down. “Do you tell her when she puts on the sunglasses that she’s invisible like they do in Big Daddy?”

“I don’t think we’ve done that yet,” Jason laughs. “Usually we just say, ‘Oooh, look at the movie star.’”

Turning to Kylie, who is off-camera, Jason says, “I’ll be up in a second. We only have two ad reads left. Good luck mom!”

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New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce (Presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment)

“Okay, let’s make these two ad reads last as long as possible,” he then tells Travis, then yelling out as he reveals, “I got hit with a shoe.”

Jason and Kylie are also parents to Bennett, 7 months, and Wyatt, 4.

Last week, the family celebrated Wyatt’s 4th birthday, which they discussed on the podcast.

“Happy birthday, baby Wy!” proud Uncle Travis cheers.

“She loves the camera you got her,” Jason shares.

“Let’s goooo! There’s nothing cooler than a little kid snapping pics on a Polaroid,” Travis says. “Did she take any yet?”

“She has, we got a bunch of them lying around. She took a bunch at her birthday party on Saturday,” the father of three says. “Papa Kelce was sitting there showing her how to work it.”

Jason and Kylie Kelce and fans.KYLIE KELCE/INSTAGRAM

Speaking with PEOPLE earlier this year, Jason’s wife Kylie celebrated the relationship between her girls and their uncle.

Although she’s tried to tell Travis that he can turn down his nieces’ many requests, he’s a good sport at playing along.

“Our oldest, she’s our boss. She’s our ring leader, and she just has demand after demand for him. And I’m like, ‘Trav, you know you can tell Wyatt no?’ “

“He was like ‘Yeah, I don’t think I can.’ And so he will do it,” she said.

“She’ll be like, ‘Jump up and down.’ He’ll do it. ‘Roll on the floor,’ he’ll do it. ‘Be the pony.’ He’ll do it. So he’s all-in when it comes to being an uncle. He is the epitome of an uncle, just through and through.”

Jason Kelce‘s wife has hit back at social media critics after a video of her NFL star husband went viral this week.

Philadelphia Eagles star Kelce, who remains one of the best centers in the NFL, made headlines this week after some fans took exception to his post-practice ritual.

Jeff Kerr of CBS posted a video of Kelce‘s post-practice ritual, which sees him lay down and throw a football, giving each of his two toddlers the chance to chase after and retrieve the ball. Kelce has three kids, also sharing a third child – who was born recently – with wife Kylie.

The video was seen as a nice moment between father and children by most, but there was still a big section of fans who took exception, claiming that Kelce was ‘playing fetch’ with his children, a game associated with dogs.

But wife Kylie responded to the claims on her Instagram story, dismissing any claims that her husband had done anything wrong.

“People in these comments saying, ‘He’s playing fetch with his kids like they are dogs!’” she said. “Just say you don’t have toddler

The Kelces welcomed a third child earlier this year shortly after the SuperBowl, when Jason lost to brother Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs. Wife Kylie was due to give birth at the time, but she traveled to the SuperBowl in Arizona with her doctor, just in case she did go into labor.

The couple’s third child was welcomed shortly after the SuperBowl, with Jason getting the perfect pick-me-up after that ill-fated SuperBowl that saw the Philadelphia Eagles miss out on top prize.

Jason and Kylie Kelce with Elliotte and Wyatt. PHOTO: KYLIE KELCE/INSTAGRAM

• Jason Kelce was podcasting when he heard daughter Elliotte, 2½, crying from upstairs
• The father of three noted these kinds of outbursts are “standard” within his family of five
• Jason Kelce welcomed youngest daughter, Bennett, weeks after competing against brother and co-host Travis Kelce in Super Bowl LVII

Jason Kelce took a moment from the podcast on Wednesday to make sure his little girl was okay.

As the Philadelphia Eagles center, 36, talked football with brother Travis Kelce, 34, during a recording of their podcast New Heights with Jason and Travis, the father of three could hear one of his three daughters crying upstairs. He continued through the conversation, but as the noise picked up, he appeared more concerned.

“Ellie is losing her mind up there,” he said of his middle daughter, Elliotte, 2½, before calling up the stairs to her.

“Ellie, are you okay?” he asked, but didn’t get an answer.

“Hopefully, she’s alright,” Travis said, snickering at the situation unfolding.

The girl dad replied, “Yeah, I mean this is standard.”

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Jason Kelce holding daughter Elliotte, Donna Kelce, Travis Kelce holding niece Wyatt.JASON KELCE/INSTAGRAM

“She’s a trooper,” Travis noted of his niece.

Jason mused, “Wyatt probably took one of her toys or something,” with Travis jokingly calling his oldest niece a “thief” before they moved on.

In addition to Elliotte and Wyatt, 4, Jason shares daughter Bennett, 10 months, with wife Kylie Kelce.

Travis Kelce (L), Elliotte Kelce (R). TODD OWYOUNG/NBC VIA GETTY, KYLIE KELCE/INSTAGRAM

Ahead of the 2023 Super Bowl — in which the Kelce brothers faced off against one another — Jason’s wife Kylie told PEOPLE that Travis is the “absolute best” uncle to her girls.

“It’s very funny, Jason said in an interview that he thinks [the girls] might like him more than they like Jason,” Kylie joked.

“I tell everybody, he comes to our house to visit and the poor guy doesn’t sit on the couch because our daughters will be like, ‘No, no, you sit on the floor. We’re gonna do a puzzle. We’re gonna build blocks. We’re gonna do this, we’re gonna do that,’” she added.

Jason and Travis Kelce cover.

“Our oldest, she’s our boss. She’s our ring leader, and she just has demand after demand for him. And I’m like, ‘Trav, you know you can tell Wyatt no?’”

“He was like ‘Yeah, I don’t think I can.’ And so he will do it,” she shared.

“She’ll be like, ‘Jump up and down.’ He’ll do it. ‘Roll on the floor,’ he’ll do it. ‘Be the pony.’ He’ll do it. So he’s all-in when it comes to being an uncle. He is the epitome of an uncle, just through and through.”

For more from Jason Kelce, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.

Wyatt Kelce may be gifting Taylor Swift a photograph she can put on her wall.

After all, Jason Kelce just revealed the sweet gift Travis Kelce gave his 4-year-old daughter for her recent birthday.

“Happy birthday, baby Wy!” Travis exclaimed on the Oct. 4 episode of his and Jason’s New Heights podcast, raising his arms and then clapping his hands. “Let’s goooo!”

This prompted to Philadelphia Eagles center to reveal exactly what Wyatt thinks of her gift from the Kansas City Chiefs tight end. “She loves the camera you got her,” he noted, to which Travis responded, “There’s nothing cooler than a little kid going around snapping pics on a Polaroid. Did she take any yet?”

Jason said, “She has. We got a bunch of them lying around. She took a bunch at her birthday party Saturday.”

He continued, “Papa Kelce was sitting with her, showing how to work it. It was awesome.”

In addition to Wyatt, Jason and wife Kylie are also parents to daughters Elliotte, 2, and Bennett, 7 months. The brothers have occasionally discussed the kids and their “Uncle Travvy” on their podcast, and the family also appears on the Amazon Prime documentary Kelce, during which Wyatt adorably reacted to the Chiefs’ victory over the Eagles in the Super Bowl this year by pointing out to her dad that his team lost the game but “Uncle Travvy winned.”

The brothers’ latest podcast episode comes amid Travis’ ongoing rumored romance with Taylor, who has appeared at his last two games. In fact, at his game against the New York Jets on Oct. 1, she was accompanied by a slew of celeb pals like Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and Sophie Turner as well as Travis and Jason’s mom Donna Kelce.

And given the media frenzy surrounding the Grammy winner and NFL spending a whole lot of time together has reached everyone from Swifties to the NFL itself, Jason and Travis shared their thoughts about the excited reaction.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images; JC Olivera/Getty Images

“They’re overdoing it,” Jason said on New Heights about the coverage of Taylor at the recent Chiefs game, while Travis said, “They’re overdoing it a little bit for sure—especially my situation. But I think they’re just trying to have fun with it.”

Look back at Taylor cheering on Travis at the Chief’s game against the Jets below:

Dustin Satloff/Getty Images

Taylor Swift, Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively

The group cheers on Travis and his team the Kansas City Chiefs as they face off against the New York Jets at Metlife Stadium Oct. 1. This marks Taylor’s second appearance at one of his games as they continue to spend time together.

Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

Taylor Swift, Brittany Mahomes, Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds

Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

Taylor Swift, Brittany Mahomes, Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds

Elsa/Getty Images

Taylor Swift, Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively

Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

Taylor Swift, Brittany Mahomes, Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds

Elsa/Getty Images

Taylor Swift

Elsa/Getty Images

Taylor Swift, Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively

Elsa/Getty Images

Taylor Swift, Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively

Elsa/Getty Images)

Sophie Turner, Taylor Swift & Ryan Reynolds

Taylor Swift, Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds

Dustin Satloff/Getty Images

Taylor Swift & Ryan Reynolds

Elsa/Getty Images)

Sophie Turner & Taylor Swift

NBC/ Bergman

Taylor Swift

Elsa/Getty Images

Taylor Swift & Ryan Reynolds

Elsa/Getty Images

Taylor Swift & Sabrina Carpenter

Elsa/Getty Images

Taylor Swift

Elsa/Getty Images

Taylor Swift

Recently, an ultra-rare 1984 Type 1 Original Photo of Michael Jordan from his first NBA game just set a record for the most expensive Jordan photo ever sold. The PSA-certified Type 1 photo, brokered in a private sale by leading collectible marketplace Goldin, was bought for $175,000.

Michael Jordan’s First Game on the Chicago Bulls

Michael Jordan’s first NBA game is an iconic moment in the history of basketball. It took place on October 26, 1984, when the Chicago Bulls faced off against the Washington Bullets. Jordan, a rookie at the time, was already generating considerable buzz as the third overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft.

In this highly anticipated debut, Jordan showcased the incredible talent that would later earn him the title of “His Airness.” He finished the game with an impressive stat line, scoring 16 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, and dishing out 7 assists. His performance was a glimpse of the greatness to come.

Michael Jordan Photograph Record-setting

The photograph features Jordan during his pro debut at Chicago Stadium on Oct. 26, 1984, where he posted 16 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists in a 109-93 win over the Washington Bullets. The image shows the future six-time NBA Champion driving to the hoop in iconic Jordan fashion with his tongue out and wearing his earliest Nike sneakers.

“Michael Jordan Type I photos are one of the hottest sectors on the auction block today,” said Khyber Oser, Director of Vintage Memorabilia and Photography at Goldin. “Only three Type I examples from MJ’s debut game have ever surfaced publicly—and this is the best one by far. I’m excited to see what such a landmark sale means for all Type 1 photo collectors, whether you collect Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali or Babe Ruth.”

Henry Yee, the principal authenticator at PSA Photo Authentication Services, was not shocked by the record price. When compared to other hobby subcultures, “true original Type I photos are still extremely undervalued,” Yee noted. “This unique debut photograph of Jordan from the Chicago Sun-Times was never made available to the general audience. It was merely employed in the newsroom to convey a story for practical reasons. Contrast that with a six-figure Jordan debut ticket stub that each of the 13,000 spectators in the venue received. In the long run, I have every confidence that the customer purchased wisely from Ken Goldin and his business.

Trading cards, memorabilia, and collectibles have all grown to be a Goldin specialty. A popular spot to visit is the Goldin marketplace.

Goldin is a leading marketplace for trading cards, collectibles and memorabilia. Founder Ken Goldin has sold more than $1.5 billion in memorabilia from many of the biggest names in sports, history, and pop culture. The company routinely sets records for the most expensive trading cards and other memorabilia ever sold. Lifelong collectors and new hobbyists alike trust Goldin because the company professionally authenticates everything it sells. Goldin is the official auction partner of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association and the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum. Learn more at Goldin.com, and on Twitter and Instagram.

NEW YORK — Ben Affleck may be one of the world’s foremost movie stars and the proud owner of two Academy Awards, but he’s no Michael Jordan.

Before embarking on his latest project — “Air,” which tells the story of a young Jordan signing an industry-altering shoe deal with Nike — the actor and filmmaker sat down for lunch with the NBA legend to get his feedback and permission to make the movie.

Jordan in 2020. Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images
“Michael Jordan, who’s the most cool, intimidating guy in the world, came and said, ‘I’ll sit down with you,’” Affleck told audience members after an advanced screening of the film in New York City. “And I went and sat down and had lunch and I said, ‘First of all, I won’t do this movie if you don’t want me to do it, just to start with, because it’s just a show of reverence and respect for you.’

“‘I have to change some details and stuff, but I think there’s more to the story than this,’” he added to Jordan. “‘And I don’t want to do anything that feels fundamentally wrong to you, obviously.’”

That’s when the GOAT chimed in, offering Affleck a short but significant list of “what I care about” making the final cut.

George Raveling was at the top of the list.

The former college basketball player — who was an assistant coach for the Team USA squad Jordan won gold with at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles — was so crucial to his decision that Jordan told Affleck, “I wouldn’t be at Nike without him.”

His Airness felt similarly about Howard White, the NBA draft pick who embarked on a career at Nike after knee injuries derailed his professional career. The former Maryland Terrapins point guard developed a relationship with Jordan as he weighed the deals that various brands — Adidas, Converse, and Nike — laid at his feet, and eventually went on to become the Vice President of Jordan Brand.

“I was like, ‘Maybe I can get Chris Tucker [to play White]. I’ve always wanted to work with Chris Tucker,’” Affleck recalled telling Jordan. “And he was like, ‘I know Chris.’”

That settled that.

Howard White (left) with Jordan in 2002. Kevin Clark/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Then came the matter of casting Jordan’s parents, who were central to the story of their son’s shoe deal. When the five-time NBA MVP told Affleck his father, James, “had the best personality out of everyone I ever knew,” Affleck assured him that he’d already found “the right guy for that matter” — Julius Tennon.

Conveniently, Tennon is married to the legendary Viola Davis — Jordan’s only true casting demand for the film. The Chicago Bulls icon wanted the EGOT winner to play his mother, Deloris.

“The best actor in the world?! No problem!” Affleck recalled responding sarca

Viola Davis (center) and Matt Damon (right) pose with Affleck at the premiere of “AIR.” Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
Davis and Tennon feature as Jordan’s parents, while Tucker took on the role of Howard White. Golden Globe, Emmy, and SAG Award winner Jason Bateman plays then-Nike Director of Marketing Rob Strasser, while actor and comedian Marlon Wayans plays the aforementioned Raveling.

“Air” comes out exclusively in theaters April 5. Check out the trailer below:

Deloris Jordan and her son wear matching Nike Jordan Brand apparel. Steve Kagan /Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
But in learning from Jordan just “how meaningful and important” his mother was to the start of her son’s brand empire, Affleck realized “what the movie is — what it’s about.” So he set off to work — not just creating a story that would be true to Jordan’s memory and sentiment of the historic partnership’s founding, but also crafting a role worthy of an actress like Davis.

“We just worked and worked and worked and worked,” Affleck said. “And then when I went to Viola, I was like, ‘Look, you probably don’t want to do this, but Michael Jordan wants you to.’”

She was sold and became the crown jewel of an all-star cast only a legend like Jordan could command. Affleck plays Nike founder and CEO Phil Knight, while Matt Damon stars as Sonny Vaccaro — the basketball guru at the center of Nike’s pursuit of Jordan.

Michael Jordan was the last NBA player who won an NBA title after averaging 30+ points per game, achieving the feat during the 1995-96 season with the Chicago Bulls. Since then, multiple NBA legends have come close to replicating the feat, but nobody has managed to crack it. In fact, Jordan is one of only three players in the 77-year history of the NBA to achieve this feat, winning four titles as a 30-point scorer.

In the list below, you can see the full list of players who achieved this amazing feat. The first to do so was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971 with the Milwaukee Bucks. He was followed by Rick Barry of the Golden State Warriors in 1975. But Michael Jordan came into the league and would achieve the feat four times in his first four Finals appearances. No player has achieved the feat since 1996 (28 years and counting).

1970-71 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31.7 PPG)

1974-75 – Rick Barry (30.6 PPG)

1990-91 – Michael Jordan (31.5 PPG)

1991-92 – Michael Jordan (30.1 PPG)

1992-93 – Michael Jordan (32.6 PPG)

1995-96 – Michael Jordan (30.4 PPG)  

Not only is Jordan the only person to have done this more than once, but he managed to do it for every single year of his first three-peat and the first title of the second three-peat. Even though Jordan didn’t play enough seasons to add more points to his overall tally, he is still considered arguably the greatest scorer in the history of the NBA.

Jordan won 10 scoring titles, with the second-closest being Wilt Chamberlain with seven scoring titles. Jordan and Wilt are the only players in history to average over 30 points per game for their entire careers as well. Many of his scoring statistics have remained unbroken over the last three decades, but with scoring increasing drastically in recent years, there’s a high chance that future championship-caliber players will have to average 30 points to lead their team to a title.

Only three players are in the running of joining Jordan, Barry, and Kareem in this exclusive club this season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.2 points on the No. 2 seeded Thunder, while Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 30.7 points on the No. 3 seeded Bucks. Luka Doncic is the scoring leader in the NBA this season, averaging 34.4 points, but has to carry the Mavericks out of the play-in tournament as the team is currently the No. 7 seed.

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Who Has Come Closest To Replicating Michael Jordan?

Jordan is the only player in the modern history of the game to achieve this feat, with one instance of this before him being 54 years old and the other being 49 years old. While NBA scoring dipped during the Jordan era and remained low through the 2000s, some players could have achieved this feat as well.

Amongst existing champions, Shaquille O’Neal came the closest. He averaged 29.7 points in the regular season in the 1999-00 season for the Lakers, where he won both regular season and Finals MVP. Both he and Kobe Bryant came close in the 2000-01 season, with Kobe averaging 28.5 points while Shaq averaged 28.7 points. If one was without the other, they could’ve gotten a 30-point average but likely wouldn’t have won the title.

Even in Kobe’s historic championship-winning seasons in 2009 and 2010, the most he averaged in the season was 27.0 (2010).

LeBron James won four titles but his highest regular-season scoring average in those title-winning seasons came in 2012 with 27.1 points. He’s averaged over 30 points per game through the season twice, losing in the Finals in 2007 and failing to make the playoffs in 2022.

Kevin Durant has four scoring titles, but he couldn’t average 30 points in his two championship runs with the Warriors in 2017 (25.1 points) and 2018 (26.4 points). During those title runs, he was teammates with the player that has arguably had the best chance of achieving this feat but failed to do so.

Stephen Curry came the closest to making this list for his incredible 2015-16 season. He averaged 30.1 points over the season, leading the Warriors to a historic 73 wins and becoming the first unanimous MVP in league history, something that nobody has replicated. Unfortunately, Curry and the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead to LeBron James’ and the Cavaliers, but LeBron averaged 25.3 points that season and was way short of the mark for this feat himself.

Curry could have achieved this feat during the Warriors 2022 championship run without Durant, but he averaged just 25.5 points during that season.

James Harden averaged over 30 points for three consecutive seasons but never made the NBA Finals. Many other 30-point scorers in NBA history came nowhere close to winning a title, except the aforementioned Steph Curry example and Allen Iverson in 2001, who averaged 31.1 points but fell in the Finals to the Shaq and Kobe Lakers.

The other two recent champions, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo failed to achieve this as well. While Jokic averaged over 30 points in the Finals, he only managed 24.5 points during the regular season. Giannis is averaging over 30 this season and could add his name to this list this year, but when he won the title in 2021, he averaged just 28.1 points.

Unless the Thunder, Bucks, or Mavericks win the title this year, this list won’t see a name added to itself. The league has become incredibly high-scoring over recent seasons, so the possibility of this record being equalled is high but we just haven’t seen it happen yet. With the NBA thinking about rule changes to reduce scoring, this record will likely become even more unattainable for future players.