Nikola Jokic received 875 points in the prestigious MVP election among 100 international sports journalists. The 27-year-old Serbian superstar from the Denver Nuggets relegated Joel Embiid (706 points/Philadelphia 76ers) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (595/Milwaukee Bucks) to second and third place.
“Now I don’t think about the awards. But I’ll probably remember it when I’m old, fat and grumpy. And I’ll tell my kids,” said Jokic.
27.1 points per game on average
The 7-foot-11 center, who has averaged 27.1 points per game, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists for the already-eliminated Nuggets this season, is the second European and 15th player in the NBA history who has won multiple MVP awards. This feat was most recently achieved by Antetokounmpo, who won the award in 2019 and 2020.
This year, for the first time, the top 3 in the election are not all from the USA. Jokic is Serb, Embiid is from Cameroon, Antetokounmpo from Greece. The best-placed US professional is Devin Booker (216 points) from the Phoenix Suns in fourth place, while Slovenia’s Luka Doncic (146/Dallas Mavericks) was fifth.
Nets leave Irving’s future open
Kyrie Irving could leave the Brooklyn Nets after dropping out early in the NBA playoffs. This was indicated by General Manager Sean Marks on Wednesday (May 11, 2022, local time).
“It would be unfair of me to comment on the current status between Kyrie and us. But to be completely frank, he has some decisions to make for himself.” said Marks.
The 30-year-old Irving had missed large parts of the season because he had not been vaccinated against the corona virus. He was only able to make his season debut in January, but was initially only allowed to play away from home. Irving only played 29 games in the regular season, while the Nets lost 4-0 to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
Irving’s contract is up and he has a player option for an extension that would net him $36.5 million.
Boston Celtics lose after leading
Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics and basketball international Daniel Theis suffered a home defeat in the playoffs and are on the verge of being eliminated. The record champions lost to defending champion Milwaukee Bucks 107-110 on Wednesday and are 2-3 behind in the series. The Bucks can make it into the conference finals with another win on Friday.