How many MVPs has Nikola Jokic won? Taking a look at his illustrious career
This season, Nikola Jokic has the chance to cement himself amongst elite company. With two NBA MVP awards to his name, a third would see him sit alongside greats like Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA history books. Despite that, this year's MVP race has been a closely contested one.
While the regular season has come to a close, and the playoffs have no bearing on who wins the MVP award, that hasn't stopped the debate regarding who should win. Although Jokic and the other MVP finalists, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid, all have their sights set on an NBA title, a third MVP would be historic for Jokic.
Nikola Jokic's first MVP season (2020-21)
With that in mind, let's take a look at the two previous MVP awards the Denver Nuggets star has won ahead of Game 2 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
During the 2020-21 season, Jokic picked up his first MVP award after taking a massive leap in performance. The Nuggets finished the season in third place in the Western Conference, with Jokic averaging a whopping 26.4 points per game.
At the time, the number marked a career-high for Jokic, who averaged 19.9 points per game the previous year. Despite that, the then-26-year-old was quoted as saying that he would rather win a championship than an MVP award. At the time, the last true center to win the award was none other than Shaquille O'Neal.
Below, you can see some highlights from his first MVP season.
Nikola Jokic's second MVP season (2021-22)
Although Nikola Jokic was a heavy favorite during the 2020-21 season to win the MVP award, things weren't so clear-cut the second time. During the 2021-22 season, Jokic was handed his second MVP award, beating runner-up Joel Embiid.
The season saw the Denver Nuggets finish sixth in the Western Conference, largely due to the absence of Jamal Murray. Despite that, Jokic once again managed to improve his play on both ends of the floor. He averaged 27.1 points per game, a new career-high to go along with a 58.3% field goal percentage.
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At the same time, he averaged a career-high 13.8 rebounds, the second-highest average in the league that season. On the defensive end of the floor, he averaged a career-high 1.5 steals per game to go along with a career-high .9 blocks per game.
Although his win sparked plenty of debates regarding whether he or Joel Embiid deserved the award, Jokic seemed rather indifferent. He was quoted saying at the time by The Denver Post:
“I don’t know. It doesn’t mean anything special. I’m just trying to compete, to win games.”
With time winding down before the NBA announces this season's MVP, only time will tell whether or not Jokic makes history as the fourth three-time MVP.
Below you can see some highlights from his 2021-22 MVP campaign.
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