Nikola Jokic was named the NBA's most valuable player for the third time

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the third time in four seasons on Wednesday, May 8. The 29-year-old Serbian star, who won the award in 2021 and 2022, finished second in the voting in 2023 but had the satisfaction of leading the Nuggets to a first NBA title.

This season, he averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists in the regular season, beating Oklahoma City Thunder stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks in the final voting for the award.

In another season in which Jokic managed to make his brilliance almost routine, he became the second player after Oscar Robertson to record 2,000 points, 900 rebounds and 600 assists in a season. His 25 triple-doubles and 68 double-doubles each ranked second in the league.

Jokic enters elite territory with his third MVP crown. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's six MVPs are the most ever. Bill Russell and Michael Jordan won five each, Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James won four. Jokic joins Moses Malone, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson as three-time winners after receiving 79 first-place votes, compared to 15 for Gilgeous-Alexander and four for Doncic.

“We have to start with our teammates. Without them, I can’t do anything,” Jokic said in the MVP announcement that aired on TNT when asked to consider another MVP. “Coaches, players, organization, medical staff, long-term coaches, development coaches – it’s all one big circle without which I can’t be wherever I am.”

Behind Jokic, the 57-25 Nuggets matched the franchise high in wins in a season – despite having the best record in the West with Oklahoma City and finishing in second place behind the young Thunder team.

As always, the MVP award offered plenty of room for arguments. Gilgeous-Alexander, a 25-year-old Canadian, averaged 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game for newly promoted Oklahoma City and had a league-high 51 30-point games -Quote. Slovenian Doncic led the league with 33.9 points per game and ranked second in assists with 9.8 points per game. He averaged 9.2 rebounds per game and became the third player to average a triple-double with 30 points after the All-Star break, joining Oscar Robertson (1961–62) and Russell Westbrook (2016–17).

But Nuggets coach Mike Malone had no doubt that Jokic's third MVP was well deserved. “I don't know if I can put into words what his greatness means to any team,” Malone said last month, adding that he particularly admired the fact that winning the award was “not his motivation.” “When he gets up in the morning (…), he doesn't do it because of the individual awards and recognition,” Malone said. “He’s committed to the team winning and hopefully winning another championship. That’s what he’s all about.”

Excellence every night

Malone said Jokic is a classic example of a player who makes the rest of his team better. “That's what I'm amazed at, especially with Nikola as a player. “Just the consistent greatness and the way he finds ways to achieve that level of excellence every single night, no matter who’s available around him,” Malone said. “Basically, it’s important to get the team on your side and make each and every one of your teammates even better.”

Whether Jokic can combine an MVP award and the title this season remains to be seen. The Nuggets have lost the first two games of their Western Conference semifinal series against the Minnesota Timberwolves and now face the difficult task of returning to action on the Timberwolves' home court starting Friday.

Jokic's win marks the sixth straight season in which the MVP award has gone to a player born outside the United States. The last American-born player to win was James Harden in 2018.