Nikola Jokic hasn’t gotten much love from ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith when it comes to the MVP award in recent years. Smith last voted Jokic as the MVP all the way back in 2021, and it sure looks like he won’t be picking the Denver Nuggets superstar in 2026 either.
When speaking about MVP contenders on First Take on Thursday, Smith mentioned four names, but Jokic wasn’t one of them.
“The MVP race is so tight,” Smith said. “With so many palpable arguments to be made on behalf of Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], [Victor Wembanyama], Luka [Doncic], Jaylen Brown.”
Smith has had a lot to say about this MVP race lately. Jokic’s name isn’t one he has brought up, though.
Smith previously named Luka Doncic a top contender for MVP. He admitted he was ashamed he hadn’t brought up Doncic’s name in the conversation prior to that.
Not long after Smith made those comments, Victor Wembanyama presented three arguments for why he should win MVP. Wembanyama highlighted his defensive impact, the San Antonio Spurs‘ 4-1 record against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and claimed that offensive impact isn’t just about points.
Those were interesting arguments, and Smith said on First Take on Tuesday that Wembanyama had changed his mind with them. He is now putting the Spurs superstar in the lead in the MVP race.
Smith brought up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jaylen Brown at the time as well, and it appears pretty clear this is his top four. You doubt there is anything Jokic, who is averaging 27.8 points, 12.8 rebounds, 10.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game in 2025-26, can do in the remaining eight games of the regular season for the Nuggets to change his mind.
So, the streak of Smith not voting for Jokic as the MVP looks set to continue. Here is a look at his top three for every season since the Serb won his first MVP in 2021.
2020-21 Season:
1. Nikola Jokic
2. Stephen Curry
3. Joel Embiid
2021-22 NBA Season:
1. Joel Embiid
2. Nikola Jokic
3. Devin Booker
2022-23 NBA Season
1. Joel Embiid
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
3. Nikola Jokic
2023-24 NBA Season
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
2. Nikola Jokic
3. Luka Doncic
2024-25 NBA Season
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
2. Nikola Jokic
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Smith had Jokic at the top only when he won the award in 2021. He surprisingly even had him outside the top two in 2023, which is absurd.
Jokic, who won MVP in 2021, 2022, and 2024, has finished in the top two in voting for five years in a row. He is only the third player ever to do that, after Bill Russell and Larry Bird. You can perhaps make an argument for why Jokic shouldn’t have won the award in any of these five years, but he unquestionably was second at worst.
Smith also made some very interesting comments about the MVP race in the latter stages of the 2024-25 season. Jokic had strengthened his case with a historic 30-20-20 game against the Phoenix Suns on March 7, 2025, but the analyst wanted to pump the brakes on the hype train.
Smith made it clear he wouldn’t allow Jokic’s game to rewrite the MVP narrative. He was adamant that Gilgeous-Alexander should win, and that is what ended up happening. The Thunder superstar got 71 first-place votes compared to 29 for Jokic. With the way the narratives are shaping up, it won’t be a surprise if he gets even fewer first-place votes this time around.
That is despite Jokic leading the NBA in rebounds and assists. The 31-year-old has been operating at an exceptionally high level, but what hurts his MVP case is probably the record. The Nuggets are fourth in the West with a 46-28 record. Had the record been better, Jokic probably wins MVP for the fourth time.
