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Denver’s Nikola Jokić tops Sixers’ Joel Embiid to win second straight NBA MVP

Embiid's bid to become the first Sixers MVP since Allen Iverson was denied by Jokic, who is the second straight repeat winner.

Sixers Joel Embiid tries for the loose ball with Nuggets Nikola Jokic during the 1st quarter at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Monday, March 14, 2022.
Sixers Joel Embiid tries for the loose ball with Nuggets Nikola Jokic during the 1st quarter at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Monday, March 14, 2022.Read moreSTEVEN M. FALK / Staff Photographer

Nikola Jokić has won the NBA MVP award for the second straight season, according to an ESPN report.

The Denver Nuggets star center becomes the second straight repeat winner of the league’s top individual award, joining Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo who won the award in 2019 and 2020.

A formal announcement is expected this week, according to the report.

This marked the second consecutive season that Embiid was a finalist. He finished second to Jokić last season.

Jokić averaged 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists in 74 games this season. The Nuggets were 46-28 record in games he played and were just 2-6 in games that he’s missed. He also became the first player in NBA history to record 2,000 points (2,004), 1,000 rebounds (1,019), and 500 assists (584) in a single season.

But Embiid had hoped to become the first Sixer to win the award since Allen Iverson in 2001. While he didn’t take home the award, Embiid did join Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Iverson as the only Sixers to average at least 30 points in a season.

This comes after he averaged 30.6 points per game and became the first center to win the scoring title since Shaquille O’Neal in 1995.

Embiid helped the Sixers go 51-31 this season, which tied with the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks for second-best in the league. The Sixers accomplished this despite playing much of the season without three-time All-Star Ben Simmons, who refused to play before forcing a trade to the Brooklyn Nets.

The last center to average more than 30 points in a season was Hall of Famer Moses Malone, who averaged 31.1 points as a member of the Houston Rockets before being named MVP during the 1981-82 season. Malone was traded to the Sixers after that season, winning a second MVP award and an NBA title during the 1982-83 campaign.