Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted on Monday with a concrete update on the NBA’s MVP race for the 2021-22 season, explaining that Nikola Jokic had received the votes that will ensure he wins consecutive MVPs. The news was not unexpected, Jokic looked like he had the lead in the race going into the playoffs, although his Nuggets did fail to perform in the postseason.
There have been many that have advocated for Jokic to be named MVP thanks to his stellar performances and statistics, he did, after all, become the first player in NBA history to record 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 500 assists in a season. While those people are quite ecstatic, many believed Joel Embiid should have won the award instead, with some support for Giannis Antetokounmpo too.
Having considered that, the reactions to the news are quite varied. Some people think he’s a deserving winner, while others think Embiid was robbed. Social media opinions tend to exist on the extremes, so, naturally, there are reactions spanning the entire spectrum following Woj’s news.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has been voted the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for a second consecutive season, sources tell ESPN. A formal announcement is expected this week.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 9, 2022
“He deserves it, but at the same time…meh.”
“Embiid is closer to a ring than Jokic.”
“The least deserving MVP in sports history. Right up there with the guy who won last year.”
“MVP award is just a laughing stock at this point. This is ridiculous. Nuggets got ran WITH this man. Meanwhile, all weekend Embiid showed out.”
“Giannis my MVP because of bias but I’m not super mad at it. Without him, the Nuggets are a lottery team.”
“NBA voters need to watch basketball instead of worshipping Excel spreadsheets, Joel Embiid was robbed.”
“We did it, baby. Back to back MVPs for our guy.”
“Jokic put together a great season, but it’s truly a shame Joel Embiid is not taking home the MVP this season.”
“Nikola Jokic carried the Nuggets all season long while putting up incredible numbers. If you have a problem with this, you don’t know ball.”
“Absolutely deserving of this award.”
“I had Giannis & Embiid ahead of him but figured he would win. He’s definitely deserving just like those other two.”
“Back to back MVPs!!! Well deserved guy dominated the league and elevated his team to an entirely different level.”
“A lot of ppl are going to be upset about this one but the man completely dominated AND never gets hurt. Earned.”
“Maybe the NBA can award it to him from his couch! Giannis & Embiid meanwhile have real awards to chase.”
“Embiid deserved to finally get one man, this is a joke.”
“This is devastating news for the Miami Heat, they’ll definitely be dealing with a very angry Joel Embiid in Game 5.”
The MVP is an award that can only be given to one player, which means that deserving candidates miss out almost every season. While Jokic’s defense may have some question marks around it, his playmaking and scoring ability make him an incredibly great player, one that is very deserving of the MVP. Like some fans also said, this could prove to be massive in terms of motivation for Joel Embiid to finally take the Philadelphia 76ers to the promised land.
