Denver Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic won the NBA Most Valuable Player award on Wednesday, marking his third win in four seasons, a feat achieved by only eight other players in NBA history.
Jokic dominated the voting, receiving 79 first-place votes and a total of 926 points from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came in second with 15 first-place votes and 640 points, followed by Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic with four first-place votes and 566 points.
The Serbian center’s remarkable season included averages of 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game over 79 games. He recorded 25 triple-doubles, ranking second in the league behind Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings, who had 26.
“It’s got to start with your teammates, you know,” Jokic said on TNT. “Without them, I cannot do anything. Coaches, players, organization, medical staff, strength coaches, development coaches. It’s all one big circle, but I cannot be whatever I am without them.”
Last season, Jokic was the runner-up to Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers. Jokic won the award in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the record for the most MVP awards with six. Michael Jordan and Bill Russell won it five times, while Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James each won four.
Jokic is tied with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Moses Malone as three-time winners.
Though Jokic won the award comfortably, he wasn’t offended during the TNT interview when it was suggested that Gilgeous-Alexander might have been a more worthy winner.
“There are a lot of players who deserve it,” Jokic said. “It’s probably the details and the small things.”
Jokic led the Nuggets to the NBA title last season and helped Denver compile a 57-25 record in the 2023-24 regular season.
The Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the Western Conference first round but now face a tough situation after losing the first two games against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round. The series now shifts to Minneapolis for the next two games.
“Tomorrow, we leave and go to Minnesota and try to get the series back to Denver,” Jokic said.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (192 points) finished fourth in this season’s balloting, and New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (142 points) was fifth.
