Bill Simmons has made his 2024–25 NBA MVP choice clear, and it’s a name familiar to the top of that ballot: Nikola Jokic.
On the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, the longtime analyst and founder of The Ringer revealed that he cast his vote for the Denver Nuggets superstar, describing Jokic’s season as “the best offensive season I’ve seen since Jordan.”
“I voted for Jokic. I thought it was the best offensive season I’ve seen since Jordan. Like for what somebody did game after game, quarter after quarter, all the sh** that he did for that team.”
“First of all, to be top three in points, rebounds, and assists is, it’s bonkers. I’ve never seen anything like it. And I was leaning there, leaning there, and then that 60-10-10 game. I just, I was like, this is, we may never see anything like this again, and I just had to pick him.”
“I get it, Shai, with the wins. I mean, there’s a great case for Shai. The coach GM situation was a catastrophe. Murray didn’t show up for the first two months of the season. They had no bench.”
“The advanced metrics for when he was on the court, when he was off the court, it was the biggest disparity in the league, at some point what are we doing.”
Simmons admitted the decision wasn’t easy. He wrestled with the case for Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose individual brilliance and team success made him the frontrunner for many voters.
Yet, Simmons pointed to one moment that pushed Jokic ahead in his mind—a 60-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist masterpiece that encapsulated what he described as a “unicorn season.”
The numbers back up Simmons’ choice. Jokic finished the season averaging 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists, and 1.8 steals per game on 57.8% shooting from the field and an absurd 41.7% from beyond the arc.
He became the first player in NBA history to finish top three in points, rebounds, assists, and steals in the same season.
Denver’s net rating when Jokic was on the floor? A ridiculous +21.3, the third-best of his career and among the highest in NBA history. The Nuggets outscored teams by 22.4 points per 100 possessions when Jokic was playing—a 100th percentile impact.
Despite all of that, the MVP race was far from a runaway. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to a league-best 68–14 record while claiming the scoring title with 32.7 points per game.
He also led the league in 20-point, 30-point, 40-point, and 50-point games while averaging 6.4 assists and shooting 51.9% from the field.
Their coach-GM relationship was reportedly tense. And through it all, Jokic carried them to a 50–32 record and the fourth seed in the West without inflating his stats. His usage rate was just 29.5%, only the 19th highest in the league, far behind Shai’s third-ranked 34.5%.
While most expect Shai to win his first MVP, Simmons’ vote for Jokic was more than valid. In a season where both candidates had compelling cases, the sheer uniqueness of Jokic’s production and his efficiency under pressure ultimately tipped the scales.
Whether or not Jokic takes home the Michael Jordan trophy for a fourth time, his 2024–25 campaign will go down as one of the most complete and dominant individual seasons in league history.
