Nikola Jokic captures 2nd straight NBA MVP title

May 11, 2022, 5:04 PM | Updated: 6:10 pm
FILE - Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) dribbles the ball up the court against the Golden St...

FILE - Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) dribbles the ball up the court against the Golden State Warriors during the first half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series in San Francisco, Monday, April 18, 2022. Jokic has won his second consecutive Most Valuable Player award after a season in which he finished with numbers never before seen in NBA history, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Monday, May 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic plays for Denver. And for Serbia.

Both places can once again make the same claim: For the second consecutive season, they’re home to the NBA’s Most Valuable Player.

The league announced Wednesday night that Jokic won back-to-back MVP awards. The Nuggets’ big man is the second consecutive international player to win two in a row, after Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo — from Greece — was honored in 2019 and 2020.

This marks the first time international players have won the award in four consecutive seasons. Canada’s Steve Nash went back-to-back for Phoenix in 2005 and 2006, followed by Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki for Dallas in 2007.

International players finished 1-2-3. Jokic got 65 first-place votes and 875 points from the panel of writers and broadcasters. Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid was second with 26 first-place votes and 706 points; Antetokounmpo was third, with nine first-place votes and 595 points. Devin Booker of Phoenix wound up fourth.

“I don’t know what else you can say about Nikola at this point,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said in a statement. “He’s consistently improved his game, he’s consistently proven people wrong when they doubt him and he’s consistently the best player on the floor night in and night out.”

The 27-year-old Jokic averaged 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists on a team that was missing two max players in Jamal Murray (ACL) and Michael Porter Jr. (back) and won 48 games. The do-it-all center nicknamed “Joker” created a new category, too, in becoming the first NBA player to eclipse 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season.

He’s now a member of another rare club — the 13th player to win back-to-back NBA MVP awards. He joined the likes of Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, LeBron James (twice), Nash, Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Moses Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (twice). Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell each won the award in three straight seasons.

Jokic was caught by surprise, too, as he rode in behind his horse on a two-wheeled cart at his stable in Serbia. Malone was waiting to hug him. Same with president of basketball operations Tim Connelly.

“It was a real emotional moment for me,” Jokic said in an interview on the TNT broadcast. “Amazing.”

Jokic was taken by the Nuggets with the 41st pick in the 2014 draft. His selection that day flashed across the bottom of the television screen during a Taco Bell commercial.

He’s come a long way. He’s eligible for a supermax extension that could guarantee him nearly $254 million over five seasons starting with 2023-24.

This will all dawn on him — down the road.

“Probably when I’m old, fat and grumpy, hopefully I’m going to remember and I’m going tell my kids, ‘Back in the days I was really good playing basketball,'” Jokic said.

James extended his record, too — 19 years in the league, 19 years of getting at least one vote in the MVP balloting (a fifth-place vote). Nobody has gotten votes in more seasons, or obviously, in more consecutive seasons than James.

Despite their disastrous season — the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t even make the play-in tournament — James’ numbers remained among the league’s best. The 37-year-old averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game, moving past Karl Malone for No. 2 on the all-time scoring list and into position to pass Abdul-Jabbar as the league’s all-time leader late next season.

James has seen the game change during his 19 seasons. He was part of the last USA Basketball team that didn’t win Olympic gold — the squad that went to Athens in 2004 — and even was convinced then that the game was only getting stronger around the world.

Jokic is further proof of that happening.

He’s not demonstrating it by himself, either. Antetokounmpo and Embiid have more than done their part. Dallas’ Luka Doncic (fifth in the MVP vote) is already a EuroLeague champion and certainly seems like he’ll win at least one NBA MVP award before he’s done.

They are the new class of international greats, following in the footsteps of Nowitzki, Hakeem Olajuwon, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Pau and Marc Gasol, Yao Ming and others. The debate will rage about which international player — either now or all-time — is the best, but Antetokounmpo (two MVP’s and a championship) and now Jokic (two MVP’s after being a second-round pick) have surely entered the chat.

Canada got a championship in 2019 when the Toronto Raptors won the NBA title. That night, the Canadian flag was soaked in champagne, Pascal Siakam danced with the flag of Cameroon around his shoulders, team President Masai Ujiri did interviews with a Nigerian scarf around his neck, and they were only a few of the Raptors with deep international ties.

It’s not inconceivable that five international players could be lottery picks in next month’s draft. And there’s hardly anyone who doesn’t see France’s Victor Wembanyama — a 7-foot-2 player with guard skills — as the certain No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft right now.

Those newcomers will want to be like Jokic. They’ll want to be the MVP, and he’s just the latest name to show those kids from around the world that it’s possible.

“If it’s not me, who is it?” Jokic responded when asked if he considered himself the longest of long shots. “There’s no way that I would come to the NBA and play basketball from this city and from this stable, basically. Now I’m playing basketball in the best league in the world and playing at a high level.”

___

AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.

___

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


              Boston Celtics' Al Horford reacts in front of Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo during the second half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball Eastern Conference semifinals playoff series Monday, May 9, 2022, in Milwaukee. The Celtics won 116-108 to tie the series 2-2. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
            
              Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo rebounds in front o0f Boston Celtics' Grant Williams during the second half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball Eastern Conference semifinals playoff series Monday, May 9, 2022, in Milwaukee. The Celtics won 116-108 to tie the series 2-2. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
            
              Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) drives up against Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
            
              Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) wipes his face during the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
            
              FILE - Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) dribbles the ball up the court against the Golden State Warriors during the first half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series in San Francisco, Monday, April 18, 2022. Jokic has won his second consecutive Most Valuable Player award after a season in which he finished with numbers never before seen in NBA history, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Monday, May 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

AP

(Facebook Photo/Superior Court of Arizona in Yavapai County)...
Associated Press

Arizona judge has cases reassigned following DUI arrest

The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that all cases currently assigned to a Yavapai County Superior Court judge recently arrested on suspicion of extreme DUI will be reassigned to other judges.
3 days ago
Haitian migrant Gerson Solay, 28, carries his daughter, Bianca, as he and his family cross into Can...
Associated Press

US, Canada to end loophole that allows asylum-seekers to move between countries

President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced a plan to close a loophole to an immigration agreement.
6 days ago
Expert skateboarder Di'Orr Greenwood, an artist born and raised in the Navajo Nation in Arizona and...
Associated Press

Indigenous skateboard art featured on new stamps unveiled at Phoenix skate park

The Postal Service unveiled the “Art of the Skateboard" stamps at a Phoenix skate park, featuring designs from Indigenous artists.
6 days ago
(Facebook Photo/City of San Luis, Arizona)...
Associated Press

San Luis authorities receive complaints about 911 calls going across border

Authorities in San Luis say they are receiving more complaints about 911 calls mistakenly going across the border.
12 days ago
(Pexels Photo)...
Associated Press

Daylight saving time begins in most of US this weekend

No time change is observed in Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.
20 days ago
Mexican army soldiers prepare a search mission for four U.S. citizens kidnapped by gunmen in Matamo...
Associated Press

How the 4 abducted Americans in Mexico were located

The anonymous tip that led Mexican authorities to a remote shack where four abducted Americans were held described armed men and blindfolds.
20 days ago

Sponsored Articles

(Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona Photo)...
Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona

5 common causes for chronic neck pain

Neck pain can debilitate one’s daily routine, yet 80% of people experience it in their lives and 20%-50% deal with it annually.
...
Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.
...
Quantum Fiber

How high-speed fiber internet edges out cable for everyday use

In a world where technology drives so much of our daily lives, a lack of high-speed internet can be a major issue.
Nikola Jokic captures 2nd straight NBA MVP title