Nikola Jokić’s Latest Historic First Would Make Him an MVP in Any Other Season

Nikola Jokić outdid himself again this season.

The three-time MVP and statistical marvel had another excellent year for the Nuggets despite missing 17 games, the most of his career so far. After Sunday’s finale Jokić finished the campaign averaging 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game. He led the NBA in triple-doubles with 34 (21 more than second-place Jalen Johnson) and finished second in double-doubles with 55. The otherworldly superstar posted two 50-point games, three 40-point games and recorded 15 or more assists on seven different occasions.

Even those accustomed to seeing ludicrous statlines from the Serbian star should be stunned by those numbers. Yet they all pale in comparison to his latest historical achievement that became official once the buzzer sounded on the final game of the season.

Jokić is, officially, the first player in NBA history to lead the NBA in both rebounds and assists per game in a single season. Nobody—not even the greatest stat-padders of the league’s eight-team era—was able to accomplish that feat. Only Wilt Chamberlain came close, leading the league in total rebounds and assists in 1968. But not even the great Wilt the Stilt could match Jokić on a per-game basis.

It is, objectively, outrageous for any player to lead the NBA in those two very distinct categories over the course of an entire season. It is even more so when that player is a center with a limited vertical. And even more so when taking into account that the league has never been more talented. Yet here we are, staring down the reality that Jokić made history once more—and there’s a real chance nobody can ever match this record.

The most outrageous aspect of them all? It may not be enough for Jokić to win MVP.

Jokić’s historic achievement would have won him MVP in any other year

This year’s MVP race is very tight. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the unofficial leader in the clubhouse after another excellent season as a premier scorer for a Thunder team that was often shorthanded but ran through the league anyway, recording 64 wins to lead the NBA. Luka Dončić made a serious push by catching fire for the entire month of March but his eligibility for any end-of-season awards is yet to be determined; the Lakers star finished the year one game short of the 65-game minimum but submitted an appeal to be eligible anyway. Victor Wembanyama stated his case publicly and backed it up with a strong finish to the season as a floor-warping talent whose impact cannot solely be measured statistically.

Jokić is considered a top candidate but even after making NBA history he isn’t seen as a favorite. In any other year you’d think a center leading the league in assists and rebounds while his team claimed the third playoff seed in the West would be a shoe-in for MVP. But thanks to this year’s strong group of candidates he isn’t even leading the pack. The dominance of SGA, the flammability of Dončić and the uniqueness of Wemby are more prevalent storylines than the plodding excellence of Denver’s superstar.

Jokić’s MVP case is suffering from voter fatigue

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić signals to teammates during the first half against the San Antonio Spurs. — Nikola Jokić may not even finish in the top two of NBA MVP voting despite another historic season. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

And there’s only one real explanation for that: voter fatigue.

Jokić has three MVP awards already. Once a player hits that mark, history suggests it’s quite difficult to win a fourth because voters don’t see their candiacy the same way. As a three-time winner Jokić is not just competing against the best players of the 2025–26 season to win MVP—he’s competing against himself. Fair or not, the past tells us that Jokić has to vastly exceed expectations to earn first-place votes, and those expectations are already sky-high thanks to the trophies he’s already received.

In some ways that’s it’s own mark of greatness. LeBron James and Michael Jordan both battled against the weight of their own excellence, winning half as many MVPs as they could have relative to how long they were undeniably the best players in the NBA. Nevertheless, the Jokić situation feels like a great example of a superstar managing to exceed such expectations. The superstar did something no one else in NBA history has ever done while still checking every other traditional box needed to be considered for MVP—consistent statistical dominance, plenty of wins and a strong narrative case. Yet the way the race is shaping up, the best he can likely hope for is a second-place finish.

Regardless of whether that proves true it shouldn’t wash away any appreciation for his amazing season. Jokić is a true one-of-one and this season was, in every regard, an all-time campaign. It will be recognized as such in the record books, even if the MVP trophy is handed to someone else.

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