Nearly 15 minutes into an All-Star interview session, the Denver Nuggets‘ back-to-back MVP was starting to get a little punchy.
“Do you care about winning the MVP?” a reporter asked.
“Yes,” Nikola Jokic answered, with a hint of exasperation in his voice.
Why?
“Because the last seven times, I said no,” Jokic shot back. “Now I’m just going to change it up.”
The truth is, Jokic seemingly couldn’t care less about the possibility of becoming just the fourth player in NBA history to win three MVPs in a row, joining Larry Bird (1984-1986), Wilt Chamberlain (1966-1968) and Bill Russell (1961-1963).
The two MVPs he has already won were followed by a second-round playoff loss in 2021 and a first-round loss to the eventual champion Golden State Warriors last season in a gentleman’s sweep.
While the MVP is a regular-season award, players’ reputations are truly forged in the postseason.
And Jokic readily admitted that he would trade them in for the chance to lead the Nuggets to their first championship in franchise history.
“If you win something collectively and something that everybody is striving to win, of course you’re going to change that for any ring or any opportunity to win something big,” he said.
While the Denver big man might be downplaying the importance of a third straight MVP, the fact is Jokic could be the guy to break the streak of eight straight back-to-back winners failing to make it a three-peat.
“I think you should be judged not on what you’ve done in the past, I think you should be judged on what you’re doing that season,” said Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time winner who came in fourth in 2021 when Jokic won his first. “If you’re able to win 10 MVPs in a row, win 10 MVPs in a row. I feel like Michael Jordan was one of the best players to ever play this game and he was always great, but he only won five MVPs out of 15 years he played, or LeBron [James] has won four MVPs out of 20 years.”
James won two MVPs in a row twice, in 2009-2010 and in 2012-2013. He came in third in 2011, when 22-year-old Derrick Rose won it (Dwight Howard finished second).
“You hear sometimes ‘voters fatigue,’ voting for the same guy year after year after year,” James said last Thursday, asked about the rarity of winning three straight MVPs. “But at the end of the day, if he’s the MVP and he’s playing like the MVP, then you should get it year after year after year.”
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