Serbian claims 91 of 101 first-place ballots by voters
Joel Embiid finishes second in voting followed by Steph Curry
Nikola Jokic said he doubted he would make the NBA as a youngster. Photograph: Jack Dempsey/AP
Nikola Jokic said he doubted he would make the NBA as a youngster. Photograph: Jack Dempsey/AP
AssociatedPress
Wed 9 Jun 2021 08.36 EDT
Nikola Jokic was selected with the 41st draft pick when he entered the NBA seven years ago. Now, by overwhelming consensus, he’s No 1.
The Nuggets’ big man was revealed on Tuesday as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for 2020-21, making him by far the lowest draft pick ever to win the award. “The Joker” now has his name etched alongside the greatest players in league history, which surely seemed unlikely when he was that unheralded prospect out of Sombor, Serbia in 2014.