Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic earned the NBA Most Valuable Player award for the third time in four years on Wednesday. The honor eluded him last year, being awarded to Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Serb joins eight other players who have won the distinction at least three times. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been crowned six times, ahead of Michael Jordan (five), Bill Russell (five), Wilt Chamberlain (four) and LeBron James (four), among others. Other players to earn the honor three times are Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Moses Malone.
This season, Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists. He was the only NBA player to rank in the top 10 in points, rebounds and assists per game.
Also in the running were Slovenian Luka Doncic, of the Dallas Mavericks, and Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Jokic received 79 first-place votes out of 99, totaling 926 points. The vote was conducted among journalists and commentators at the end of the regular season. Gilgeous-Alexander finished second with 640 points, including 15 first-place votes. Doncic finished third with 566 points, including four first-place votes.
For the third year in a row, the top 3 in this race were made up of players born elsewhere than in the United States. Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks ranked fourth with 192 points. He got a first place vote.
The Most Valuable Player title went to a non-American player for the sixth time in a row. Antetokounmpo was the recipient in 2019 and 2020.
Jokic made an unexpected rise to superstar status, having been drafted 41ste in total in 2014. His career is now Hall of Fame worthy, at 29 years old.
Gilgeous-Alexander helped the Thunder rank first in the West, averaging 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.0 steals.
Doncic led the league with 33.9 points per game this season. He also contributed 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game.