Shohei Ohtani has won the third AP Male Athlete of the Year Award. The MLB star is now just one award away from tying Tiger Woods and LeBron James, who have won this prestigious award four times.
The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year was started in 1931, and various top athletes from across the world have won this prestigious award. The legendary NBA player Michael Jordan won this event three times before Woods, LeBron James, and Lance Armstrong won it on four occasions.
Reacting to this achievement of joining this elite list, Shohei Ohtani said growing up in Japan, he followed Jordan and Woods.
“Growing up in Japan, I did follow Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods,” Ohtani said. “I would see their accolades and how they were successful in the United States.”
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Tiger Woods won this award for the first time in 1997 when he registered four PGA Tour wins. After that, he registered four wins in 1999, won this award for the second time, and received another one in 2000 for winning nine PGA Tour events.
After winning the award in 2000, Woods said it was very humbling and an honor to be on the same list as Michael Jordan.
“It’s very humbling,” Woods said. “It’s a great honor to be in the presence of such great names. I didn’t realize that Jordan was the only other three-time winner.”
His fourth win of the AP Male Athlete of the Year Award came in 2006 for winning eight PGA Tour trophies in a year.
Shohei Ohtani becomes the first MLB player to win AP Male Athlete of the Year award thrice
Shohei Ohtani at the New York Yankees vs Los Angeles Dodgers, 2024 World Series – Source: Getty
Shohei Ohtani has now become the first MLB player to win the AP Male Athlete of the Year award on three occasions. The only other MLB player to win the award twice is Sandy Koufax, while Aaron Judge and Jose Altuve have won the award once.
Ohtani had an incredible year in the MLB as he inked one of the richest contracts in MLB history, 10 years, $700 million, and joined the LA Dodgers. He had a historic season as he became the first player to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases, and finished with 54 and 59.
He won this award for the first time in 2021, and then registered two consecutive wins in 2023 and 2024.
Given Ohtani’s form and performance in MLB for the past few years, there is a realistic chance of him winning the AP Male Athlete of the Year Award for the fourth time and joining the elite club of Tiger Woods, Lebron James, and Lance Armstrong.
