The Denver Nuggets are getting ready for another Playoff run with Nikola Jokic leading the team, with the 31-year-old center coming off a historic season where he averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists. Jokic became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounds and assists, while averaging a triple-double for the entire season.
Jokic, a three-time MVP, is expected to be among the finalists for this year’s award after meeting the 65-game eligibility limit on the last game of the season. However, Jokic is currently expected to finish second or third in the MVP race, with last year’s winner, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, expected to win the award again.
Votes for MVP haven’t been cast yet due to the NBA still reviewing existing exception waivers for the 65-game rule, mainly from Luka Doncic. But with the MVP conversation heading away from Jokic, a fellow NBA player has shared his take on the race.
Milwaukee Bucks center Bobby Portis appeared on FanDuel TV’s ‘Run It Back,’ where he told former NBA players Lou Williams and Chandler Parsons that Jokic will never win another MVP because the voters don’t want him to win his fourth MVP award.
“It’s tough, man. At the voters’ discretion, I don’t think nobody probably will vote for Jokic because he already got three of them, and you don’t want to give him four, you feel me? They probably don’t want to give him four MVPs, but Jokic is tough, though. He led the league in rebounds and assists; that’s a stat. That’s a bar. I like Jokic, but it’s probably going to be SGA for sure. SGA probably gonna win it, but I like Jokic.”
“I know how it go though, somebody’s gonna want Wemby to win. He’s gonna get a lot of first-place votes, man.”
Jokic won MVP in 2021, 2022, and 2024. He lost the 2023 MVP in a narrow race to Joel Embiid, with Gilgeous-Alexander beating him out in 2025. Another MVP win for Jokic would tie him with LeBron James and Wilt Chamberlain on all-time MVP wins. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6), Michael Jordan (5), and Bill Russell (5) have won more than four league MVPs. Winning a fourth and joining James and Chamberlain while still having more opportunities to win more would put Jokic in rarefied air.
Jokic’s two biggest rivals in the MVP race are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama. Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 31.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 6.6 assists this season, leading the Thunder to a league-best 64 wins. Wembanyama averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks while leading the Spurs to a surprise No. 2 seed with an eight-game lead over the No. 3 Nuggets, who Jokic led to 54 wins.
The Nuggets had an injury-riddled season across the roster. Aaron Gordon missed 46 games, Cam Johnson and Peyton Watson missed 28 games each, Christian Braun missed 38 games, and even Jokic missed 17 games due to an injury. Despite these issues, the Nuggets have had a remarkable season, led by Jokic when he was available.
All other MVP candidates have barely crossed over the 65-game requirement, so availability isn’t a huge argument here. The Thunder went 8-6 without Shai, the Spurs went 12-6 without Wemby, and the Nuggets went 11-6 without Jokic.
The regular season is behind us, so Jokic and his other MVP rivals will be focused on leading their team to a championship win this season. If regular-season record determines the MVP, Jokic is definitely the underdog heading into the Playoffs compared to his other two MVP rivals.
The Nuggets face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round in the 3-6 matchup, a rematch of the 2024 Western Conference Semifinals, where the Wolves picked up a 4-3 series win.
