National Basketball Association (NBA)
Source: National Basketball Association (NBA) |

Denver’s Nikola Jokić Wins 2021-22 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award

Serbian Center Becomes 13th Player Selected as MVP in Consecutive Seasons

Jokić will be presented with a special edition 75th Anniversary commemorative trophy today in celebration of the honor

LEXINGTON, United States of America, August 11, 2022/APO Group/ --

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić has been named the 2021-22 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, the NBA (www.NBA.com) announced today.

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This is the second Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award for Jokić, who also earned the honor last season. He becomes the 13th player to win the award in consecutive seasons, joining Kareem Abdul- Jabbar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Stephen Curry, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Moses Malone, Steve Nash and Bill Russell.

Jokić received 875 points (65 first-place votes) from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid finished in second place with 706 points (26 first-place votes). Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo finished in third place with 595 points (nine first- place votes), followed by Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker in fourth place with 216 points and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić in fifth place with 146 points. Players received 10 points for each first- place vote, seven points for each second-place vote, five points for each third-place vote, three points for each fourth-place vote and one point for each fifth-place vote.

This is the first time that both the top three and four of the top five finishers in voting for the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award are international players, with Jokić (Serbia), Embiid (Cameroon) and Antetokounmpo (Greece) comprising the top three and Dončić (Slovenia) joining them in the top five. Jokić is the second European player to win the award more than once, joining Antetokounmpo, the MVP in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.

In his seventh NBA season, Jokić averaged 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists, 1.47 steals and 0.85 blocks per game, setting career highs in each category except assists (second highest). Jokić, who played 74 games and averaged 33.5 minutes, ranked sixth in the NBA in points, second in rebounds, eighth in assists, 12th steals and 33rd in blocks per game. He led the league in total rebounds (1,019) and total defensive rebounds (813). His career-high 58.3 field goal percentage was eighth highest in the NBA.

Jokić, 27, became the first player in NBA history to record at least 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season and the first player to average at least 25.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in a season. He led the NBA in triple-doubles with 19 and double-doubles with 66, both single-season records for a Nuggets player.

Jokić earned his fourth consecutive NBA All-Star selection and second straight All-Star start. He twice was named the Kia NBA Western Conference Player of the Month (January and March/April) and the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week (Jan. 24 and April 4).

Behind Jokić, the Nuggets (48-34) qualified for the NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel for the fourth consecutive season. With Denver trying to clinch a playoff spot late in the season, Jokić averaged 35.7 points, 16.3 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.14 steals in his final seven games.

The Nuggets selected Jokić with the 41st overall pick during the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft. Last season, he became the lowest-drafted player to win the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award with the exception of three-time recipient Moses Malone, who was not selected in the NBA Draft.

Jokić will be presented with a special edition 75th Anniversary commemorative trophy today in celebration of the honor, gifted in addition to the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award trophy, which he will receive later. The commemorative trophy, composed of a solid crystal basketball, features the NBA 75 logo 3D laser etched and suspended within its center.

The voting results for the 2021-22 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award are below. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP. Complete ballots for each voter will be posted at PR.NBA.com after the announcement of all end-of-season awards.

VOTING RESULTS: 2021-22 KIA NBA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD

Player (Team)

1st Place Votes

(10 Points)

2nd Place Votes

(7 Points)

3rd Place Votes

(5 Points)

4th Place Votes

(3 Points)

5th Place Votes

(1 Point)

Total Points

Nikola Jokić (Denver)

65

27

6

2

0

875

Joel Embiid (Philadelphia)

26

39

34

1

0

706

Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee)

9

32

52

7

0

595

Devin Booker (Phoenix)

0

1

8

49

22

216

Luka Dončić (Dallas)

0

1

0

32

43

146

Jayson Tatum (Boston)

0

0

0

8

19

43

Ja Morant (Memphis)

0

0

0

1

7

10

Stephen Curry (Golden State)

0

0

0

0

4

4

Chris Paul (Phoenix)

0

0

0

0

2

2

DeMar DeRozan (Chicago)

0

0

0

0

1

1

LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)

0

0

0

0

1

1

Kevin Durant (Brooklyn)

0

0

0

0

1

1

Below is the list of winners of the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award.

 

KIA NBA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER WINNERS

1955-56 – Bob Pettit, St. Louis

1956-57 – Bob Cousy, Boston

1957-58 – Bill Russell, Boston

1958-59 – Bob Pettit, St. Louis

1959-60 – Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia

1960-61 – Bill Russell, Boston

1961-62 – Bill Russell, Boston

1962-63 – Bill Russell, Boston

1963-64 – Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati

1964-65 – Bill Russell, Boston

1965-66 – Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia

1966-67 – Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia

1967-68 – Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia

1968-69 – Wes Unseld, Baltimore

1969-70 – Willis Reed, New York

1970-71 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee

1971-72 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee

1972-73 – Dave Cowens, Boston

1973-74 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee

1974-75 – Bob McAdoo, Buffalo

1975-76 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, L.A. Lakers

1976-77 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, L.A. Lakers

1977-78 – Bill Walton, Portland

1978-79 – Moses Malone, Houston

1979-80 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, L.A. Lakers

1980-81 – Julius Erving, Philadelphia

1981-82 – Moses Malone, Houston

1982-83 – Moses Malone, Philadelphia

1983-84 – Larry Bird, Boston

1984-85 – Larry Bird, Boston

1985-86 – Larry Bird, Boston

1986-87 – Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers

1987-88 – Michael Jordan, Chicago

1988-89 – Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers

1989-90 – Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers

1990-91 – Michael Jordan, Chicago

1991-92 – Michael Jordan, Chicago

1992-93 – Charles Barkley, Phoenix

1993-94 – Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston

1994-95 – David Robinson, San Antonio

1995-96 – Michael Jordan, Chicago

1996-97 – Karl Malone, Utah

1997-98 – Michael Jordan, Chicago

1998-99 – Karl Malone, Utah

1999-00 – Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers

      2000-01 – Allen Iverson, Philadelphia

2001-02 – Tim Duncan, San Antonio

2002-03 – Tim Duncan, San Antonio

2003-04 – Kevin Garnett, Minnesota

2004-05 – Steve Nash, Phoenix

2005-06 – Steve Nash, Phoenix

2006-07 – Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas

2007-08 – Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers

2008-09 – LeBron James, Cleveland

2009-10 – LeBron James, Cleveland

2010-11 – Derrick Rose, Chicago

2011-12 – LeBron James, Miami

2012-13 – LeBron James, Miami

2013-14 – Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City

2014-15 – Stephen Curry, Golden State

2015-16 – Stephen Curry, Golden State

2016-17 – Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City

2017-18 – James Harden, Houston

2018-19 – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee

2019-20 – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee

2020-21 – Nikola Jokić, Denver

2021-22 – Nikola Jokić, Denver 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of National Basketball Association (NBA).

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