Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is nominated for THIRD STRAIGHT MVP award but will need to beat out 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 beat out Embidd and Antetokounmpo to win the award last season
- The NBA will begin unveiling 2022-23 award winners starting early next week
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Nikola Jokic has his third straight NBA MVP award in sight, but the Denver Nuggets star will need to beat out the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo for the honor.
The three leading vote-getters for the league’s individual awards were announced Friday and the marquee category featured familiar names.
Jokic repeated as MVP last year, with Embiid the runner-up 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 when the Milwaukee Bucks captured the 2021 title. Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers center who won his second straight scoring title, has never won.
The winners will be announced beginning next week.
Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid (left) and the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic (right) have been nominated for the 2022-23 NBA MVP award. Jokic is the two-time reigning MVP
Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) holds his child, Shai, during 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
Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis; Brook Lopez, Milwaukee; Evan Mobley, 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.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
