Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic continued to expand his legacy as one of the NBA's greatest players by winning his third Most Valuable Player trophy on Wednesday.
Jokic won the award for the third time in four seasons, succeeding last season's MVP, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. Jokic edged out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, who finished second and third, respectively, in the voting.
“You have to start with your teammates; without them, I can't do anything,” Jokic said Wednesday on TNT after being named MVP. “Coaches, players, organization, medical staff, strength coaches, development coaches. It's all a big circle. But I can't be who I am without them.”
Jokic's third MVP win wasn't close. He earned 79 first-place votes and a total of 926 points. Gilgeous-Alexander received 15 first-place votes and 640 points. Doncic earned four first-place votes and 566 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks finished fourth and New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson was fifth in the voting.
“There are a lot of deserving players,” Jokic said of the MVP race. “It's probably the details and the little things [that determine it]”.
Jokic is the first center in six decades to win the MVP three times in four seasons; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it from 1973-74 to 1976-77. Jokic is also the ninth player in NBA history to win at least three MVPs, joining Abdul-Jabbar (6 total), Michael Jordan (5), Bill Russell (4), LeBron James (4), Wilt Chamberlain , Moses Malone, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
“It's hard to tell greatness from greatness,” Denver coach Michael Malone said in early April about how Jokic has improved in previous MVP seasons. “And that's what it's been for a number of years. I know that over the last six years we've had by far the best record in the Western Conference and only second in the NBA behind, I think, Milwaukee in that time.”
In his ninth season, Jokic played in 79 games, his most since logging 80 games during the 2018-19 season. He joined Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to finish in the top five in total points (fifth), rebounds (third) and assists (second) in multiple seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Elgin Baylor is the only other player to do it once.
Jokic is also the second player to record 2,000 points, 900 rebounds and 600 assists in a season, joining Oscar Robertson.
Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists, all in the top 10 in each statistical category. He recorded 25 triple-doubles, second only to Domantas Sabonis (26) of the Sacramento Kings, while averaging 58.3% shooting from the field and 35.9% from behind the arc.
Powered by Jokic, Denver finished the season fifth in offensive efficiency, eighth in defensive efficiency and fourth in net rating. The Nuggets were one of four teams to rank in the top 10 in all three, along with the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder.
While Denver had the best starting five in the league, Jokic's value was undeniable to Denver. The Nuggets posted a net efficiency of plus-11.8 when Jokic was on the court, but minus-8.6 when he was off the court. Jokic led the NBA with a plus-682 plus-minus. The Nuggets were -251 with their franchise player off the court.
Of course, the humble Jokic often says he doesn't care as much about individual honors as he does the championship. Jokic is trying to lead the Nuggets to repeat as world champions.
If he does, the Nuggets big man will have accomplished a four-year streak that only four other all-time greats have achieved. Russell, Bird, Johnson and James are the only players to have won three regular season MVPs and two NBA titles in a four-year span.
“Nikola has matured and his ability to continue to make everyone around him better,” Malone said. “And when you win a championship, we're going to get it back, but instead of Bruce [Brown] and jeff [Green]We are going to try to get young players and the fact that we have a better record than last year.
“And Jamal Murray missed [23] games. This tells Nikola that he understands that it is still my responsibility as a great player to help. [the younger role players] as well as all the other guys to understand what their roles are, how to play on both ends of the floor and, most importantly, make those guys better.”
ESPN statistics and information contributed to this report.
