For much of this NBA season and especially the second half, it has appeared a foregone conclusion that Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets would win the 2023-24 NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Jokic won the award in 2020-21 and 2021-22 before coming in second place to Joel Embiid last season.

Embiid was leading the chase early this season but succumbed to a meniscus injury and it has been Jokic’s award to lose ever since. The Joker is about to win his third MVP award, putting him in the rarest of company.

Jokic set to join elite company

The only other players in league history to win 3+ MVPs are Magic Johnson (3), Moses Malone (3), Larry Bird (3), LeBron James (4), Wilt Chamberlain (4), Michael Jordan (5), Bill Russell (5), and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6).

So while Jokic and the Nuggets obviously have much larger aspirations than winning individual awards, this isn’t something that should be taken for granted. What Jokic has done over the past few years, and continues to do, is nothing short of remarkable. He’s entering into the pantheon that includes the greatest players in the history of the game and it’s happening right before our eyes.

More championships and finals MVP awards would certainly help the cause for Jokic, but winning the MVP Award three times in four years before the age of 30 is an incredible achievement that should be celebrated and appreciated by Nuggets fans and basketball fans alike.

When is the official MVP announcement?

The voting results for the MVP Award will officially be revealed and a winner announced this Wednesday, May 8th at 7:30 PM EST (5:30 PM MST). The reveal can be seen live on TNT as part of their pregame coverage for game two of the Eastern Conference Semifinal series between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers.

Since the Nuggets will be between games two and three of their own second-round series, it will be interesting to see if Jokic makes himself available to be interviewed live as part of the broadcast. I’m sure the tenor of that conversation may depend on the result of game two as the Nuggets desperately need a win.