Nikola Jokic had dreams of a regular season but was left early in the playoffs. Photo: AP
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the second consecutive year after a season that ended in numbers never seen in NBA history.
The NBA plans to make the announcement in the next few days, possibly this week, according to someone who spoke to the Associated Press on Monday, on condition of anonymity because the vote results were not released.
ESPN, sources cited, was the first outlet to report Jokic’s appointment.
The Serbian center of the Denver Nuggets, the team where Argentine Facundo Campazzo played, became the first player in league history to exceed 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season.
Such dominance of the “Joker” convinced voters that he should be proclaimed as the 13th player in the exclusive club of MVP winners in consecutive seasons.
The other finalists – second and third in the same order – were Philadelphia’s Cameroonian center Joel Embiid, who led the league in average score, and Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two -time award and fort winner. of defending champions Milwaukee.
Jokic, 27, averaged 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists on a team that lost two more stars due to injury: Jamal Murray (knee) and Michael Porter Jr. (back).
Forced to bear the weight, the giants from Sombor, Serbia, responded by leading the Nuggets to a 48-win season. They finished sixth in the West before falling five games to the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs.
Source: Clarin
