Former Nuggets Player Claims Nikola Jokic Didn't Want MVP
Once the frontrunner to win his third-straight NBA MVP award, Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic tailed off towards the end of the regular season, which allowed Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid to win the award. Speaking on the Club 520 podcast, former Nuggets guard Gary Harris said Jokic didn't actually want to win MVP again.
"He didn't really wanna win that MVP this year," Harris said. "Once they started talking about all the other stuff - the different narratives, he was just like, I'm cool, I'm straight... They put Embiid first, and I feel like that took a lot of pressure off them as a team in general."
Many who watched Jokic all year also felt that he didn't care about the MVP award towards the end of the season, especially once a lot of the bizarre narratives began popping up. More concerned with Denver's ultimate goal of winning a championship, it's very possible that Jokic coasted a bit down the stretch of the regular season, costing himself the MVP.
While nobody knows for sure what Jokic was thinking those last few weeks of the regular season, it all feels insignificant now the he is an NBA champion and Finals MVP. Bringing the Nuggets their first title in franchise history, Jokic accomplished several feats far more important than another league MVP award.
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