Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was named the NBA’s MVP on Tuesday after setting career bests with 26.4 points and 8.3 assists and tying a career high with 10.8 rebounds per game this season, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Seven years ago, the Denver Nuggets used the 41st pick in the NBA draft on an unheralded center from Serbia. On Tuesday, Nikola Jokic became the sixth international player — and third European — to win the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award, sources confirmed to ESPN. The Denver star becomes the first center since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000 to be named the league’s MVP. Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry were the other finalists for the award. Jokic put together one of the best offensive seasons in NBA history, finishing the year with career-best averages of 26.4 points and 8.3 assists and tying a career best by averaging 10.8 rebounds. He also shot 56.6% from the field,38.8% from 3-point range and 86.8% from the foul line. He also led Denver into the second round of the playoffs despite injuries to three of Denver’s guards — Jamal Murray, Will Barton and PJ Dozier — a feat that none of the other teams that made it to the conference finals of last year’s playoffs in the bubble in Orlando — the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and Boston Celtics — were able to match.
