Nikola Jokic named NBA MVP for the third time in four seasons

May 9, 2024 Vaseline stjohnson 0

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The amazing and unique story of Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic continues.

From the 41st pick in the second round of the 2014 NBA draft to one of the best basketball players in the world, the 6-foot-11 Serbian won his third regular season MVP in four years, surpassing Shai Gilgeous from Oklahoma City. -Alexander and Luka Doncic of Dallas for the award.

Jokic joins an elite group of NBA players with three or more MVPs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Bill Russell (five), Michael Jordan (five), Wilt Chamberlain (four), LeBron James (four) , Moses Malone (three). ), Larry Bird (three) and Magic Johnson (three).

It is the sixth consecutive season that a player born outside the United States has won the MVP.

A convincing argument could be made why each finalist, who also included Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic, should have won the award.

Jokic got the nod from the voting panel, earning 79 first-place votes and 926 points. Gilgeous-Alexander finished second with 15 first-place votes (640 points) and Doncic third with four first-place votes (566 points). Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo was the only other player to receive a first-place vote.

Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.4 steals and almost one block per game and shot 58.3% from the field, 35.9% on three-pointers and 81.7 % in free throws and was number 2 in triple-doubles with 25. The Nuggets finished 57-25, tied for the second best record in the league, and earned second place in the Western Conference. He became one of four players to have multiple seasons with more than 20 triple-doubles.

During a stretch early in the season, Jokic became the first player in NBA history to record at least 14 rebounds and at least 14 assists in three consecutive games and just the second player since steals became a statistic. official 50 years ago to have at least 30 points, 15 rebounds, 15 assists and four steals in a game. He had a career-high 708 assists, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain for most assists by a center in a season, and led the league in PER (player efficiency rating), which measures player contributions.

This third MVP cements Jokic’s place as one of the most talented and skilled big men in NBA history. He has the ability to score inside and out, pass and rebound. He combines extraordinary footwork, a soft touch and incredible vision into an offensive force that is difficult to defend, creating scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates.

Doncic led the league in scoring with a career-high 33.9 points per game and was a triple-double threat in every game with 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds per game on 38.2%. in triples, the highest number of his career. Gilgeous-Alexander led the young Thunder to the No. 1 spot in the West and scored 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 53.5% from the field and 35 .3% in triples.