Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic named NBA MVP for third time

ON TOP: Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, center right, and Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, center left, compete for a rebound. Pic: Jack Dempsey

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award for the third time in four seasons, the league announced on Wednesday.

Jokic beat Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks for the honor, receiving 79 first-place votes from a panel of broadcasters and journalists.

The Serbian big man is the ninth player to claim the honor three or more times, previously winning in 2021 and 2022, after averaging 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists across 79 games during the regular season.

He was only the second player ever to have at least 2,000 points, 900 rebounds and 700 assists in a season, after Oscar Robertson (1961-62).

It marks the sixth year in a row that an international player has claimed the title in the North American league, after Cameroonian center Joel Embiid won last year and Greek forward Giannis Antetokounmpo won in 2020 and 2019.

Reuters