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Nikola Jokic was selected by the 41st draft pick when he entered the NBA seven years ago. Now, by overwhelming consensus, it is #1.
The Nuggets’ Big Man was revealed Tuesday as the 2020-2021 NBA Most Valuable Player, by far making him the lowest pick to win the award. The name ‘The Joker’ is now etched alongside the greatest players in league history, which certainly seemed unlikely when that unspoken prospect was out of Sombor, Serbia in 2014.
“Honestly, I didn’t even think I’d be in the NBA,” Jokic said. “My goal when I started playing basketball back home was to play in the Euroleague because that was kind of the closest thing to the Premier League to my country.”
Jokic was the quick winner, with 91 of the 101 first-place finishers – 100 from a global panel of sports writers and broadcasters covering the league, and the other a first-place total poll compiled from fan voting.
This fan vote was weird: It went to 2011 NBA MVP Derrick Rose of the New York Knicks, the only vote Rose received.
Joel Embiid of Philadelphia came in second, Golden State’s Stephen Curry finished third, Golden State’s Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee finished fourth in 2019 and 2020, and Phoenix’s Chris Paul finished fifth.
“It’s quite an achievement,” said Jokic, “but it’s something like I said to the guys, I’m not alone.” “I came here six years ago and was developing, the organization was growing, the coaching staff was growing, the players next to me were growing. I couldn’t do it myself. It’s an individual award, but it’s everyone’s effort.”
Previous record holders for the lowest draft pick and who became the league’s best player were Steve Nash and Giannis Antetokounmue, who were selected for 15th overall. Antetokounmpo has won the MVP award in each of the last two seasons.
Greece is now ceding bragging rights to Serbia – the fifth country outside the United States to claim the MVP title, joining Canada (Nash), Greece (Antitokonmo), Nigeria (Hakim Olagun) and Germany (Dirk Nowitzki).
The news came at a team meeting Tuesday, where NBA Commissioner Adam Silver appeared on a video screen to deliver the word.
“First of all,” said Nuggets coach Michael Mallon. He wore a shirt Tuesday night with some of the hits Jokic had heard over the years, including Can’t Jump, Flaubert and Power Defender. The back of the shirt told a different story: “MVP. The joke is on you.
Jokic’s rise was meteoric, but not entirely unexpected after the way he’s played in recent years. Even Kobe Bryant, in 2019, said that he challenged Jokic to fulfill his potential and win the MVP award.
“best player! The best player in the NBA! Nuggets colleague Will Barton posted on Instagram.
“I couldn’t have won it without you,” Jokic told his teammates when it was reported that he had won the award.
Jokic has had 60 doubles in the league and added 16 triples, the second most in the NBA after only the Triple King and former favorite Westbrook this season. Jokic’s average goals jumped from 19.9 points per game last season to 26.4 points. He hit a career high with 10.8 rebounds per game and his average pass of 8.3 was shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s all-season average (8.6) for a ball.
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