Nikola Jokic named MVP for 2nd year in a row

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic walks off the court after the team’s loss in Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco, Wednesday, April 27, 2022. The Warriors won the series. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

by: The Associated Press, Lanie Lee Cook

Posted: May 11, 2022 / 04:44 PM MDT

Updated: May 11, 2022 / 04:44 PM MDT

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(KDVR/AP) — It’s official: Nikola Jokic has been named MVP for the second year in a row.

The Denver Nuggets tweeted a video showing Jokic getting surprised with the award in Serbia on Wednesday.

The Joker’s 2021-2022 season stats beat out 2020-2021, with an average of 27.1 points and 13.8 rebounds per game. The MVP averaged 7.9 assists. According to ESPN, Jokic was the first player in NBA history with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season.

There’s no denying the international flavor when it comes to the NBA elite with Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic becoming the fourth straight foreign-born player to capture the league’s MVP award when it’s announced.

It’s the second consecutive time the Serbian big man has been crowned the best player in the league. This time, he beat out two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece and the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia center Joel Embiid of Cameroon to mark another first — never before have the top three in MVP voting all been internationals.

76ers coach Doc Rivers says there will be more, realizing former Commissioner David Stern’s global vision for the game.