Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is already part of NBA history when he became the 14th different player to win back-to-back MVP awards. It was the 15th occurrence as LeBron James accomplished the feat twice. However, there is a large contingent of people who believe he should have joined an even more exclusive group.
For portions of the 2022-23 season, Jokic was actually the favorite to win the MVP award for a third consecutive time. Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Bird are the only three players to have won the award in three straight seasons.
Many felt that Jokic did enough to win the award a third time, but he was beaten out by Philadelphia 76ers center, Joel Embiid. This is Embiid’s first MVP of his career after finishing second in back-to-back seasons behind Jokic.
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets, Joel Embiid & Philadelphia 76ers Updates
While there have been some very strong opinions shared about the award, Jokic isn’t bothered by it. He has taken the high road, opting to commend Embiid on his performance instead of diminishing it as some have chosen to do.
“To be honest, this is just — I don’t know, I don’t think about MVPs anymore. I think people are just mean and saying that Embiid shouldn’t have won it,” Jokic said. “I think he should have won it. I think he was playing, if you watch it, extremely, extremely tough basketball through the whole season.
“I don’t want to say a player doesn’t mean that, but he was really amazing in 82 games or however many games he played,” Jokic explained.
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets, Joel Embiid & Philadelphia 76ers Updates
Both players certainly could make a strong claim to the award. Embiid led the NBA in scoring for a second straight season with 33.1 points per game. He grabbed 10.2 rebounds and handed out 4.2 assists per game as well to go along with 1.0 steals and 1.7 blocks.
The biggest knock against Embiid would have been that he played in only 66 games. Jokic, however, only played in 69 this season, which is the least in a single season of his career thus far. He nearly averaged a triple-double, scoring 24.5 points with 11.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists.
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets, Joel Embiid & Philadelphia 76ers Updates
While the MVP award is a regular season prize, Jokic has shown in the postseason why he was so deserving of a third trophy. He has led his Nuggets to the franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance after sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
Embiid’s 76ers were eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals for a third straight year, this time by the Boston Celtics.
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