Nikola Jokic MVP: How the NBA community reacted to 'Joker' winning maiden MVP Award

Nikola Jokic became the first centre since Shaquille O'Neal to win the MVP award. Jokic is also the first Nuggets player and the first 2 round pick to ever be recognised as NBA's Most Valuable Player. He is the first MVP since Kobe Bryant in 2008 to play all the games of the season. The Serbian has come a long way and has become one of the best passing big men in the league.

Nikola Jokic MVP 

Jokic played a key role in the Nuggets' 3rd place finish in the Western Conference. He led the Denver team in the absence of their point guard Jamal Murray who faced a lot of injury problems this season. Jokic received 91 first-place votes in the 2020-21 NBA MVP voting. The race looked fairly easy for him as Steph Curry was next with 5 votes. Jokic will be hoping to continue his dominance into the postseason, he played fantastically well in the series against Portland Trail Blazers and will be hoping to do the same against the Phoenix Suns.

While talking to the TNT crew, Jokic said, "A lot of people trust in me, a lot of people worked for me. I put a lot of work too, so the success came by just combining everything together." Jokic was announced MVP in front of his teammates by Adam Silver and it was evident that all the players were happy with the success of the Serbian. Jokic is only the sixth player outside the 50 states of America to win the Championship. 

Nikola Jokic season in numbers: Nikola Jokic stats

Nikola Jokic played all the games in the regular season and posted 26.4 PPG, 10.8 RPG and 8.3 APG. He also performed really well in the defensive end and secured 1.3 steals per game this season. Jokic has been averaging 31.4 points this Playoffs and is shooting at an efficient 51.5 % from the field. His phenomenal passing range has helped teammates like Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr to excel for the Nuggets. 

 Players' reactions to Jokic being named the 2020-21 NBA MVP

Nikola Jokic is one of the funniest players in the League and he is loved by all his teammates. His teammate Monte Morris took to Twitter to congratulate him on his achievement. The Nuggets will be pleased that Jokic received the MVP and every player in the organisation has expressed their appreciation of the Serbian. 

Picture Credits: AP