Nikola Jokic on MVP: Individual awards are people picking who wins... a championship is something you win

Harrison Wind: My favorite quote from Nikola Jokic today: “All those individual awards are people picking who wins it…a championship is something you win.”
Source: Twitter @HarrisonWind

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Jeff Goodman @GoodmanHoops
Celtics Collapse in Game 5 vs Bucks + Jokic Wins MVP w/ @Gary Tanguay | Bob Ryan & Jeff Goodman Podcast | Presented by @HireOnLinkedIn twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… – 5:30 PM Jorge Sierra @hoopshype
Back-to-back MVP winner Nikola Jokic with some perspective: “All those individual awards are something where people are picking who is going to win it… A championship is YOU winning it.” pic.twitter.com/ZcgsLCgRYM – 3:11 PM Vincent Goodwill @VinceGoodwill
New for @YahooSports: Nikola Jokic is a worthy MVP, but playing meaningful games should matter when it comes to voting (read it till the very end, I promise it’s worth it): yhoo.it/3PlcaBl – 1:59 PM Harrison Wind @HarrisonWind
My favorite quote from Nikola Jokic today: “All those individual awards are people picking who wins it…a championship is something you win.” – 12:47 PM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
Nikola Jokic joked by saying he wants a cut of the money made by Taco Bell during their commercial that was aired when he was drafted. – 11:24 AM Duvalier Johnson @DuvalierJohnson
Nikola Jokic on being drafted during a Taco Bell commercial.
“Hopefully, I’m going to have some percentage from the Taco Bell.
I was sleeping when they drafted me. I didn’t even think about coming.”
Went on to speak about the journey. pic.twitter.com/1SksGAyIUm – 11:24 AM Michael Singer @msinger
Nikola Jokic on the infamous Taco Bell commercial that flashed when he was drafted at No. 41:
“Hopefully I’m gonna have some percentage from the Taco Bell.” – 11:23 AM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
Nikola Jokic:
“My daughter showed me there are more important things than basketball.”
He said she made him a better person; not a better basketball player. – 11:22 AM Michael Singer @msinger
Nikola Jokic: “My daughter showed me that basketball isn’t the most important thing.” – 11:22 AM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
Jokic on his first season in the league:
“I was running around like a fly with no head.”
Protect this man at all costs. – 11:18 AM Duvalier Johnson @DuvalierJohnson
Jokic said there are a lot of really good players in the league right now so he does not consider himself one of the leaders of the league. pic.twitter.com/2vVAF1Nej2 – 11:17 AM Michael Singer @msinger
Nikola Jokic knows where his MVP trophies are: “I know where my last one is, and I know where the (crystal) ball is. It’s kinda heavy.” – 11:17 AM Michael Singer @msinger
Asked Nikola Jokic how he celebrated his MVP:
“With some music and some beer. … and a little bit of rakija.” – 11:12 AM Duvalier Johnson @DuvalierJohnson
Jokic said that he celebrated his MVP with music, beer and a bit of rakija. pic.twitter.com/tHM9NsBu6I – 11:11 AM Michael Singer @msinger
Nikola Jokic on his love of horses: “That’s my stress relief. It’s something that I love to do.” – 11:11 AM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
From how Jokic is talking during his MVP press conference, it seems he is more emotional about so many members of the Nuggets to come and see him in Serbia than the MVP award itself. – 11:10 AM Michael Singer @msinger
Nikola Jokic: “To be honest, I don’t know that I inspire. I never thought about that.”
“… I was the 41st pick. … I’m not a bad person to look up to.” – 11:07 AM Michael Singer @msinger
If you’re a #Nuggets fan, you might want to pick up a hard copy of today’s @denverpost. #B2BMVP #NikolaJokic pic.twitter.com/m0M0cD3dbq – 10:26 AM Emiliano Carchia @Sportando
Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic officially named NBA MVP sportando.basketball/en/denver-nugg… – 4:20 AM Trey Kerby @treykerby
Nikola Jokic and I share a birthday 💼 pic.twitter.com/h9UtUn4gkF – 11:20 PM Michael Singer @msinger
Good news: The crystal ball Nikola Jokic received was a nod to the NBA’s 75th anniversary. He’ll also be getting the traditional MVP trophy later.
Bad news: That’s more trophies to keep track of. – 8:18 PM Chris Dempsey @chrisadempsey
So I think what this is showing pretty clearly is that, yes, despite general nonchalance toward winning the #NBA MVP, it in fact meant a lot to Nikola Jokic. There is so much more emotion from him in this video than we ever see.
And it is so cool.
pic.twitter.com/LuGC8kqP85 – 8:17 PM Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
Nikola Jokic tops Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo in closest three-way MVP race in decades nba.nbcsports.com/2022/05/11/nik… – 7:30 PM Duane Rankin @DuaneRankin
OFFICIAL: Nikola Jokic back-to-back MVP. – 7:09 PM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
I’ll feel forever blessed to watch Jokic as much as I have. What a one-of-a-kind talent. His game is just pure basketball joy. – 7:07 PM Harrison Wind @HarrisonWind
Power ranking the top moments from Nikola Jokic’s MVP trophy presentation:
1. Dream Catcher’s stable as the backdrop
2. Josh Kroenke’s shirt
3. Jokic rolling up in the sulky
4. The kiss pic.twitter.com/I8oVdJMBDh – 7:04 PM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
Three players received first place MVP votes.
Nikola Jokic: 66
Joel Embiid: 26
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 9
Jokic was the runaway winner. pic.twitter.com/sv9hAsN5CW – 6:58 PM Kevin O’Connor @KevinOConnorNBA
With Nikola Jokic officially winning his second MVP, here’s his scouting report from my 2014 draft guide. I ranked him 27th and said he’d be a steal but who could’ve seen this coming? Not even the Nuggets. From the 41st pick to back-to-back MVP. Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/1wakJCUWlz – 6:58 PM Gordon Gross @GMoneyNuggs
There were 2 second-place votes for anyone not named Jokic, Embiid or Giannis. Voters agreed – everyone agrees – those were the 3 guys.
MVP shares past 4 years:
Jokic – 1, 1, 9, 4
Embiid – 2, 2, 7, 12
Giannis – 3, 4, 1, 1
Still looking for the disrespect. – 6:58 PM Christos Tsaltas @Tsaltas46
Another 5-star season had a reward for Nikola Jokic. Joker is the back-to-back NBA MVP, proving his dominant force on the floor. He put the Nuggets on his back many times this season and forced them until the 6th-seed in the West. #MileHighBasketball #NBA
sdna.gr/mpasket/964786… – 6:56 PM Michael Grange @michaelgrange
ICYMI — Nikola Jokic was the worthy MVP in a race that Embiid and Giannis also deserved to win. And if you don’t like it? Blame Mike Budenholzer for refusing to play Giannis more than 33 minutes a game: sportsnet.ca/nba/article/ye… – 6:54 PM Adam Wexler @AdamJWexler
65 of 100 voters voted Nikola Jokic as the #NBA MVP and he easily outpoints Joel Embiid who got 25 first place votes and Giannis Antetokounmpo who received the other 9 votes. The vote totals: pic.twitter.com/TZEFe9CN4t – 6:53 PM Howard Beck @HowardBeck
For all the talk of “voter fatigue,” we’ve now had SEVEN instances of a player winning back-to-back MVP in the last 21 years:
Jokic (2021, 2022), Giannis (2019, 2020), Curry (2015, 2106), LeBron (2012, 2013), LeBron (2009, 2010), Nash (2005, 2006) and Duncan (2002, 2003). – 6:51 PM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
I’m still dying at Jokic being told that he is the 5th center to win back to back MVPs and his response was, “does Shaq not have two?”
Elite troll job. – 6:50 PM StatMuse @statmuse
Stat leaders among the top 5 MVP finalists:
PPG — Embiid
RPG — Jokic
APG — Luka
SPG — Jokic
BPG — Embiid
FG% — Jokic
+/- — Booker pic.twitter.com/2Ob9rCrdSE – 6:47 PM Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps
NBA MVP voting results:
Jokic: 65 1st place votes, 875 pts
Embiid: 26 1st place votes, 706 pts
Giannis: 9 1st place votes, 595 pts
Final ESPN MVP straw poll results:
Jokic: 62 1st place votes, 860 pts
Embiid: 29 1st place votes, 719 pts
Giannis: 9 1st place votes, 593 pts pic.twitter.com/MhP7nmjlvS – 6:46 PM Eurohoops @Eurohoopsnet
OFFICIAL: Nikola Jokic voted #NBA #MVP for the second straight season
eurohoops.net/en/nba-news/13… – 6:46 PM Adam Mares @Adam_Mares
Jokic is the best. That was great. – 6:45 PM Rob Peterson @ShotDrJr
And Jokic’s place in the Naismith Hall of Fame is secured. – 6:44 PM Callie Caplan @CallieCaplan
Luka Doncic: Year 4, No. 5 in MVP voting behind Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Devin Booker.
Luka and Booker both got 1 second-place vote but Booker got 8 third-place votes to Luka’s 0. pic.twitter.com/rtNccIdPzF – 6:44 PM Michael Singer @msinger
Nikola Jokic earned 65 first-place votes (875 points overall) Joel Embiid had 26 first-place (706 points overall). Giannis Antetokounmpo had 9 first-place votes (595 points overall). – 6:43 PM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
This Jokic MVP interview in front of his horse stable is elite, legendary, mesmerizing, and any other adjective you want to throw out there. What a joy. – 6:42 PM John Schuhmann @johnschuhmann
Jokic is awesome.
Let us cherish him. – 6:41 PM Sean Grande @SeanGrandePBP
Jayson Tatum finished 6th in the MVP voting, we’ll see if that’s a harbinger for the All-NBA 1st team.
The Jokic win wasn’t as close as a lot of people thought it would be. pic.twitter.com/pWookfa9xT – 6:40 PM Gordon Gross @GMoneyNuggs
Laughing my ass off at Jokic doing exactly what all of us thought he was doing: harness racing his horses, doing this acceptance interview with the stable dog hacking up a hairball nearby. – 6:40 PM Mike Vorkunov @MikeVorkunov
Nikola Jokic, MVP. He took 65 of 100 1st place votes. It’s the first time the top 3 are all international players. pic.twitter.com/XKhCXztZfu – 6:39 PM Michael Scotto @MikeAScotto
Nikola Jokic is the NBA MVP. He’s the 13th player to be MVP in consecutive seasons, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Stephen Curry, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Moses Malone, Steve Nash and Bill Russell. pic.twitter.com/JVDpcqGYFw – 6:38 PM Steve Aschburner @AschNBA
Here are the balloting results for the 2021-22 NBA Most Valuable Player Award won by Denver’s Nikola Jokic, again. pic.twitter.com/raNFMSI05D – 6:38 PM Michael Singer @msinger
Nikola Jokic on the MVPs via @NBAonTNT: “When I’m old, fat and grumpy, hopefully I’m gonna remember (the awards).” – 6:37 PM Christos Tsaltas @Tsaltas46
It’s official. Nikola Jokic is the 2022 NBA MVP of the season. Joker won the trophy for second straight season! #MileHighBasketball #Jokic #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/nrILYRicPW – 6:36 PM Michael Singer @msinger
That’s Michael Malone, Ogi Stojakovic, Josh Kroenke and others from the #Nuggets contingent at the horse stable to celebrate Nikola Jokic’s B2B MVP. – 6:36 PM Cody Taylor @CodyTaylorNBA
The NBA has officially announced Nikola Jokic as the Most Valuable Player. The full voting results: pic.twitter.com/ejc23Z9rjj – 6:35 PM JD Shaw @JShawNBA
Full voting results for the MVP award. Behind Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid finishes second, Giannis Antetokounmpo third: pic.twitter.com/MOSvbrLXVD – 6:35 PM Katy Winge @katywinge
A Sombor Surprise 🥺
Josh Kroenke, Tim Connelly, Coach Malone, Felipe (head strength and conditioning coach), Oggy (director of player development), all made the trip to Sombor to deliver Nikola Jokic his MVP award.
You could see it in the video, Joker was emotional. – 6:35 PM Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHM
Nikola Jokic receiving his second MVP trophy at a Serbian horse stable is just perfectly Joker. – 6:35 PM Howard Beck @HowardBeck
As expected, Nikola Jokic has won MVP for the 2021-22 season. pic.twitter.com/k6QToIs1Dd – 6:35 PM Michael Singer @msinger
It’s official: Nikola Jokic is your back-to-back MVP.
denverpost.com/2022/05/11/nik… – 6:33 PM Brian Mahoney @briancmahoney
NBA MVP to be announced today on TNT’s pregame show at 6:30 p.m. EDT. Will feature an interview with Nikola Jokic. – 5:07 PM

More on this storyline

Jorge Sierra: The eternally underrated Tim Duncan received MVP votes in 16 different NBA seasons. Only trails LeBron and Kareem. Duncan received votes in more seasons than Wilt Chamberlain and Anthony Davis combined. pic.twitter.com/7o8Vxp1NAV -via Twitter @hoopshype / May 12, 2022 Ohm Youngmisuk: Asked if he considers himself a long shot who won MVP, Jokic agreed while sitting in front of a horse and stable in the middle of the night: “If it’s not me, who is it. I’m coming from this city (Sombor)… from this stable basically.” -via Twitter @NotoriousOHM / May 11, 2022 Trae Young: Jokic game is so tough. Funny dude too😂 Deserved! 💯 -via Twitter @TheTraeYoung / May 11, 2022