Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is nominated for THIRD STRAIGHT MVP award, but will have to beat 76ers’ Joel Embiid and Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo to become the first player to threepeat since Larry Bird did it in the mid-1980s
- Jokic also defeated Embidd and Antetokounmpo last season to win the award
- The NBA will begin revealing the 2022-23 award winners early next week
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Nikola Jokic has his third consecutive NBA MVP award in sight, but the Denver Nuggets star will have to beat the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo for the honor.
The top three voters for the competition’s individual awards were announced Friday, and the major category featured household names.
Jokic repeated as MVP last year, with Embiid second and Antetokounmpo third. The Denver Nuggets center could now become the first player to win three straight MVP awards since Hall of Famer Larry Bird from 1984-86.
Antetokounmpo has also won consecutive MVP awards, in 2019 and 2020, along with an NBA Finals MVP as the Milwaukee Bucks clinched the 2021 title. Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers center who won his second straight scoring title, has never won.
The winners will be announced early next week.
Joel Embiid (left) of the Philadelphia 76ers and Nikola Jokic (right) of Denver Nuggets are nominated for the 2022-23 NBA MVP award. Jokic is the two-time reigning MVP
Giannis Antetokounmpo, 34, holds his child Shai during a ceremony in Milwaukee
The finalists for the other categories:
COACH OF THE YEAR
Mike Brown, Sacramento; Mark Daigneault, Oklahoma City; Joe Mazzulla, Boston.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Paolo Banchero, Orlando; Walker Kessler, Utah; Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Jalen Brunson, New York; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City; Lauri Markkanen, Utah.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Years Jackson Jr., Memphis; Brook Lopez, Milwaukee; Evan Mobiley, Cleveland.
SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR
Malcolm Brogdon, Boston; Bobby Portis, Milwaukee; Immanuel Quickley, New York.
CLUTCH PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jimmy Butler, Miami; DeMar DeRozan, Chicago; De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento.
Larry Bird receives his third consecutive MVP award from Commissioner David Stern in 1986