DENVER -- Nikola Jokic plays for Denver. And for Serbia.
Both places can once again make the same claim: For the second consecutive season, they鈥檙e 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鈥檚 Giannis Antetokounmpo 鈥� from Greece 鈥� was honoured in 2019 and 2020.
This marks the first time international players have won the award in four consecutive seasons. Canada鈥檚 Steve Nash went back-to-back for Phoenix in 2005 and 2006, followed by Germany鈥檚 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.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what else you can say about Nikola at this point,鈥� Nuggets coach Michael Malone said in a statement. 鈥淗e鈥檚 consistently improved his game, he鈥檚 consistently proven people wrong when they doubt him and he鈥檚 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 centre nicknamed 鈥淛oker鈥� 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鈥檚 now a member of another rare club 鈥� 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.
鈥淚t was a real emotional moment for me,鈥� Jokic said in an interview on the TNT broadcast. 鈥淎mazing.鈥�
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鈥檚 come a long way. He鈥檚 eligible for a supermax extension that could guarantee him nearly US$254 million over five seasons starting with 2023-24.
This will all dawn on him 鈥� down the road.
鈥淧robably when I鈥檓 old, fat and grumpy, hopefully I鈥檓 going to remember and I鈥檓 going tell my kids, 鈥楤ack in the days I was really good playing basketball,鈥欌�� Jokic said.
James extended his record, too 鈥� 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 鈥� the Los Angeles Lakers didn鈥檛 even make the play-in tournament 鈥� James鈥� numbers remained among the league鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檛 win Olympic gold 鈥� the squad that went to Athens in 2004 鈥� and even was convinced then that the game was only getting stronger around the world.
Jokic is further proof of that happening.
He鈥檚 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鈥檒l win at least one NBA MVP award before he鈥檚 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 鈥� either now or all-time 鈥� is the best, but Antetokounmpo (two MVP鈥檚 and a championship) and now Jokic (two MVP鈥檚 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鈥檚 not inconceivable that five international players could be lottery picks in next month鈥檚 draft. And there鈥檚 hardly anyone who doesn鈥檛 see France鈥檚 Victor Wembanyama 鈥� a 7-foot-2 player with guard skills 鈥� as the certain No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft right now.
Those newcomers will want to be like Jokic. They鈥檒l want to be the MVP, and he鈥檚 just the latest name to show those kids from around the world that it鈥檚 possible.
鈥淚f it鈥檚 not me, who is it?鈥� Jokic responded when asked if he considered himself the longest of long shots. "There鈥檚 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.鈥�
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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.
