The Nuggets and Thunder’s back-to-back matchups previewed a potential Western Conference Finals and put the incredibly close MVP race between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic in the spotlight. Each team took one win with outstanding performances from SGA and Jokic. NBA analyst Shannon Sharpe saw enough to crown the Serbian star as the best player in the league.
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In the most recent game between the two juggernauts, the Nuggets prevailed by a score of 140-127. Jokic dominated with 35 points, 18 rebounds and 8 assists on 75% shooting from the field. Most impressively, the Nuggets captured the win without defensive star Aaron Gordon.
Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson spoke about the duel between Shai and Jokic on Nightcap. Sharpe shared his belief that SGA will earn this season’s MVP but made it clear the title for best player in the world belongs to the big man in Denver.
“Shai is going to win the MVP and he should,” Sharpe proclaimed. “But make no mistake, the best player in the world is Nikola Jokic. Shai is not a better player. The best basketball player in the world is from Serbia.”
The Hall-of-Fame tight end isn’t crazy for making such a statement. After all, Jokic recently put forth the first 30-20-20 game in NBA history. But Ocho was confused by Sharpe’s comments didn’t understand how someone who is deemed the best player isn’t awarded the MVP.
Sharpe kept his response fairly simple. He reminded his cohost that the best player doesn’t always win MVP, referring to LeBron James and Michael Jordan as examples. Both players had a legitimate case to win the award every season during their primes but didn’t.
Statistically, Jokic is having the best season of his career despite having been so good in the past that he earned three MVPs. Sharpe compared Jokic to the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, and Jayson Tatum and didn’t back down from his stance that Jokic is better than them all.
Notable instances where the best player in the league was snubbed from the MVP
If Jokic doesn’t win MVP, it won’t be the first time that the best player didn’t take home the top prize.
Some notable moments include Steve Nash’s 2005 MVP win over Shaquille O’Neal, Derrick Rose’s 2011 win over LeBron James, and Karl Malone’s 1997 take—though everyone knew MJ was the best player in the league that year.
As great as a player may be, they won’t win MVP every season. Voter fatigue is a real thing, and narratives are a big part of the game. The 2024-25 season may become the newest case of the best player in the league getting the short end of the stick.
