NBA Gives Nikola Jokic His 3rd MVP, Making Up For Last Year's Flop Pick

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The NBA MVP news dropped late Wednesday, and to no surprise, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets won the crown. 

And his reaction was incredible.

Yes, his team is still reeling from an 0-2 hole against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference seminals, but for now, Jokic is rightly named the best player in the league — an honor that should've run for four straight years until last year's MVP Joel Embiid broke that streak.

The Nuggets star averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists. Jokic received 79 first-place votes.

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Other NBA stars in the running for MVP included Dallas' Luka Doncic and Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

SGA received 15 first-place votes. Doncic received the third-most, first-place votes with four. 

So yeah … Nikola Jokic ran away with it.

DENVER - Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets shoots a free throw against the Minnesota Timberwolves during Round 2 Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on May 6 at the Ball Arena. (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)

Jokic put up stellar numbers to land Denver second in the highly competitive Western Conference postseason standings, with a record of 57-25. 

Playing in a superior conference and imposing his versatile game against fellow superstars quickly cements Jokic as a name worth considering for the all-time best player at his position.

Last year, the NBA got caught up in giving Joel Embiid a "long-awaited" MVP award and overlooked a stronger year by Jokic en route to a Nuggets championship.

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One year after Embiid's MVP win, the Philadelphia 76ers are still asking questions about the franchise's future running through Embiid. It was a ‘sympathy award’ by the NBA.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets have a foundation for the future despite the sucker-punching from Minnesota.

DENVER - Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets celebrates after a game against the Los Angeles Lakers during Round One Game Five of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on April 29 at the Ball Arena. (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)

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