Nikola Jokic is a back-to-back NBA MVP.
Though not yet formally announced by the league, it remains merely a formality as reports have surfaced of the voting results confirming his spot.
The Serb put up numbers during the season for Denver the likes of which the basketball world had not seen before. Not from Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdula Jabbar, Michael Jordan, or Lebron James.
ESPN was the first to bring the decision to light.
The 7-foot center became the sole player in league history to eclipse 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 500 assists in a season.
His record-setting year helps him become the 13th player of the NBA’s exclusive MVP back-to-back club.
He beat out Philadelphia 76ers’ center Joel Embiid, who led the league in scoring average, and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks for the award.
The 27-year-old Jokic averaged an absurd 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 7.9 assists for a team that was missing two max players in Jamal Murray, who appeared in zero games this year due to a torn ACL, and Michael Porter Jr who missed out due to back issues.
Carrying the load alone, the Serbian guided the Nuggets to a 48-win season and the No. 6 seed in the West.
The center put up a valiant fight against the Warriors, losing in five games in the opening round of the playoffs.
He was his absolute best once again in the series, averaging 31 PPG, 13.2 RPG, and 5.8 APG with a 57.5% FG average.
Nikola Jokic being NBA MVP again is likely only the start of a huge offseason for the Serb.
He is eligible for a supermax extension that could guarantee him nearly $254 million over five seasons starting with 2023-24.
He will still be making $32.4 million next season.
Jokic joined a rarefied company by winning MVP for a second straight season.
The other players to win two in a row include Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, LeBron James (twice), Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Moses Malone, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (twice).
Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks was the last player to go back-to-back, as he won the award in 2018-19 and in 2019-20.
Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bill Russell each won the award in three straight seasons.
Entering the peak of his prime, Jokic has a really good shot at a threepeat.
