The North American professional basketball league NBA has announced the finalists for this year’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
The choices are Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers, Giannis Antetokounmpo of reigning champions Milwaukee Bucks, and last year’s MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. This will be the fourth consecutive non-American player to win the award – a record.
The three Superstars all led their teams to the playoffs. While Embiid (Cameroon) and Antetokounmpo (Greece), MVP of the years 2019 and 2020, successfully started their teams in the knockout stages, Serbian Jokic had to admit defeat with Denver to the Golden State Warriors.
In addition to the Most Valuable Player award, the NBA awards five other prizes. The sports journalists who are entitled to vote choose among other things the best coach and the best young player of the season. The NBA will announce the winners during the playoffs.