Earlier Adrian Wojnarowski from ESPN broke the news that Nikola Jokic has been voted as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. This will make Jokic a back-to-back MVP, which is a feat very few have managed. The list of players who have been back-to-back MVPs includes NBA legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, and Steve Nash among others. 

However, when he was drafted, not many knew about him. Even the ones who had heard about him didn’t think he would be a starter, let alone an MVP someday. And while the Denver Nuggets placed their faith in him, it looks like the NBA certainly didn’t. 

The Nuggets drafted Nikola Jokic as the 41st overall pick in 2014. But unfortunately, the draft happened when there was a commercial break. As he was drafted, a Taco Bell commercial for Quesarita was aired. 

Almost everyone thought he wasn’t conditioned enough for the NBA and that he would be just another player. But that wasn’t the case with the ‘Joker’. In an interview with Rachel Nichols, he himself said that he was sleeping when he was selected.

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Nikola Jokic from pick no. 41 to back-to-back MVP

After being drafted as the 41st pick by the Nuggets, Jokic didn’t put up MVP numbers immediately. In his rookie season, he averaged 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. He played 80 games while starting 55 with 21.7 minutes per game.

These aren’t even rookie-of-the-year numbers, but it was still great for someone drafted as the 41st pick. He had nothing to lose, therefore there was not much pressure. This helped him settle at his own pace in the NBA and helped him hone his skillset and fitness levels.

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In his third and fourth seasons, he averaged a double-double for the season; he was also racking up his assist numbers. 

In the 2019-20 season, Jokic helped his team reach the Western Conference Finals in the bubble. They lost to the eventual NBA champions, the LA Lakers. 

When he won his first-ever NBA MVP award last year, he averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game. He has also earned four All-Star selections and three All-NBA selections.

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This season he averaged 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game. Jokic almost single-handedly helped the Nuggets to reach the playoffs this year. But the Golden State Warriors knocked out the Nuggets in the first round.

Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird are the only players to have won it 3 times in a row. If Nikola Jokic were to do that, it would put him alongside three of the all-time greats of the NBA.