The Denver star, challenged by Cameroonian pivot from Philadelphia, Joel Embiid, long perceived as the favorite for the title, and by strong winger from Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo, double winner in 2019 and 2020, finished the season with 27 .1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists average.
He is also rewarded for his considerable impact on the performance of the Nuggets, weakened by the absences of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr, long-time injured, and whom he led to 6th place in the West, certainly without being able to then prevent an elimination in the 1st round of the play-offs against Golden State.
Jokic, 27, is the 13th player to be MVP back-to-back (two years in a row), after Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan , Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Drafted in 41st position in 2014 by Denver, the "Joker" is negotiating a contract extension and could sign, according to American media, for more than 240 million dollars over five years.
Which would be an NBA record.
The disappointment must be great for the Cameroonian Embiid, whom many saw becoming the second African-born player to receive the Maurice Podoloff trophy, after Hakeem Olajuwon, a Nigerian of natural origin who naturalized in 1993 and was named MVP the following year.
Nikola Jokic against the Golden State Warriors in the play-offs, April 27, 2022 EZRA SHAW Getty/AFP/Archives
This is the 4th consecutive year that a non-American player has been awarded as an individual.
As an additional manifestation, both of the power taken by foreign basketball players in the league and of their ultra-versatility in a game that now refuses to freeze the positions, three interiors who know how to do almost everything on a floor, were finalists for this distinction.
In a way, the new consecration of Jokic, by the vote of the journalists (voice), prolongs the hegemony of these ultra-dominant giants.
Which would also have been the case with Embiid or Antetokounmpo MVP.
© 2022 AFP