Jokic joins elite group, wins NBA MVP for third time

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic’s amazing and unique story continues.

From the No. 41 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 regularseason MVP award in four years, beating out Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dallas’ Luka Doncic.

Jokic joins an elite group of NBA players with three or more MVP awards: 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 aplayer born outside of the United States has been the MVP.

A compelling argument could be made for why each finalist, which 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 3-pointers and 81.7% on free throws and was No. 2 in tripledoubles with 25. The Nuggets finished 57-25, tied for the second-best record in the league, and they earned the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. He became just one of four players to have multiple seasons with 20-plus triple-doubles.

During a stretch earlier 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 an official stat 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, passing Wilt Chamberlain for most assists by a center in one season, and led the league in PER (player efficiency rating), which measures a player’s contributions.

This third MVP solidifies Jokic’s spot as one of the most gifted and skilled big men in NBA history. He has the ability to score inside and outside, 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 teammates.

Doncic led the league in scoring with a career-high 33.9 points per game and was a triple-double threat every game at 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds per game and a career-high 38.2% on 3-pointers.