Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets dribbles in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, May 4, 2024. /CFP
Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets was named the 2023-24 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), the league announced on Wednesday. He joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird and Moses Malone to become the ninth player in NBA history to have won at least three regular-season MVP awards.
Jokic beat Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks in the MVP race. Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers, who won it last year, was disqualified for the running after failing to make 65 appearances during the regular season.
"It's got to start with the teammates; without them, I cannot do nothing," Jokic told TNT. "Coaches, players, organization, medical staff, strength coaches, development coaches. It is all one big circle. But I cannot be whatever I am without them."
Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and nine assists per game this season, leading the Nuggets to finish the regular season with a 57-25 record that put them in second place in the Western Conference. The team's second-in-command, Jamal Murray, got 21.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game.
Nikola Jokic (R) of the Denver Nuggets posts up in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, May 2, 2024. /CFP
"Nikola has matured his ability to continue to make everyone around him better," Nuggets' head coach Michael Malone said of Jokic. "And when you win a championship, and we're going to run it back, but in place of Bruce [Brown] and Jeff [Green], we're going to try to put young players in and the fact that we have a better record than we did last year."
As one of the greatest centers on the offensive end in NBA history, Jokic, like coach Malone said, always tried to make his teammates better. That's partly why they knocked out the Los Angeles Lakers with a gentleman's sweep (4-1) in the Western Conference first-round playoffs.
However, for the Nuggets to advance further in the playoffs and defend their title this season, the Serbian superstar needs to show more aggression and ferocity in his individual attacks. His team lost both their home games in the Western semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves and currently trail 2-0 in the series.