This Wednesday, Nikola Jokić won his third NBA MVP (most valuable player) in four seasons. The Denver Nuggets star has won unanimously in a season that once again highlights the foreign talent in the American league. The Serbian center has beaten the other two finalists, the Slovenian Luka Dončić and the Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jokić, at 29 years old, thus joins a select club of nine basketball legends who have won three or more MVPs in their careers. It is also the sixth year in which an international player has won this recognition.
“How are the Knicks doing?” Jokić joked at the start of the press conference. Dressed in a black t-shirt, the center appeared in front of the media with a poker face and his characteristic irony. “This is a legacy that is enjoyed when you finish your career. I will be happier when I retire than now… I am going to be a very happy grandfather. cool“, he said to take weight away from the feat that he has achieved in his sixth year and that places him alongside great names in the sport such as Jordan, Russell and Bird.
“I’m happy to be with that group of people,” he said while thanking his teammates, coaches and team members. Seconds later he remembered that basketball is just part of his life, not the most important thing. “This is a job, something that I obviously like to do and enjoy, but nothing more,” she said.
Jokić debuted in Denver in the 2015-2016 season. In six years he has drawn a path to the Hall of Fame after winning his first ring in 2023. The NBA on Wednesday described his career as “historic” moments before the start of the second game between the Pacers and the Knicks. He joker, as they call him, closed the regular season with 26.4 points per game; 12.4 rebounds and 9 assists. They are his best numbers since the 2021-2022 season, when he achieved his second MVP.
The distinction comes at a worrying time for the Nuggets. Those from Denver, second in the West, showed a dominant style in the first series of the playoffs against LeBron James’ Lakers, whom they eliminated in five games. The display was so overwhelming that Jokić even allowed himself to make some jokes and arrive at the locker room dressed as Gru, the protagonist of the animated films. My favorite villain and owner of the minions, who dress completely in yellow, just like the beloved Los Angeles team that was home to Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
The story has completely changed in the West semifinals. The Nuggets have lost two consecutive games at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves, whose defense has been effective in stopping the Serbian giant. The star only scored 16 points in the second game, his lowest score in the last five games. Denver will have the opportunity on Friday to show in Minneapolis that it can still defend the franchise’s first title, achieved last year.
Along with legends
Moses Malone, Earving Magic Johnson and Larry Bird have three season most valuable player awards. The rivalry between Magic and Bird has recently been captured in an HBO Max series. Johnson won five championships with the Lakers between 1988 and 1991, the year in which he retired following his announcement that he was living with HIV. His rival from the Celtics is considered one of the best shooters in history. And in the MVP voting he was among the five favorites in his first nine years in the league. He won them consecutively between 1984 and 1986.
Malone is one of the most underrated stars in the NBA. He is one of the veterans who played in the ABA until it merged in 1976 with the current competition in 1976. He won two awards with the Houston Rockets and one more with the Sixers between 1979 and 1983.
There is another group, that of Olympus, which is still far away for the Serbian. LeBron James, rookie of the year and 20-time All Star, has been voted MVP in four seasons, the last in 2012-2013. The 40-year-old Lakers star has also been the most valuable player in the four finals he has won. With four MVPs, Wilt Chamberlain is also on the list, who obtained his first distinction in his year of rookiewhere he recorded 37.6 points and 27 rebounds per game.
Michael Jordan, considered by many the best player in history, won five MVPs dressed in the uniform of the Chicago Bulls, the team he made a dynasty. In 1986-1987 he became the most important player on offense, with the highest scoring average (37.1) since Chamberlain. In 1987-1988 Jordan also won the defensive player of the year award. Legendary Celtic Bill Russell, basketball’s most dominant athlete in the sixties and winner of eleven rings, is tied with Jordan with five MVPs.
At the top is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who managed to be the most valuable player six times. He was the third most voted the year he debuted with the Milwaukee Bucks. He won five MVPs in seven years until he achieved his sixth at the age of 32 and wearing a Lakers uniform, in 1979-1980. Despite this, the Los Angeles star only has two championship rings. It remains to be seen if Jokić gets a second championship.
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