Author: Monojit Mandal
In a remarkable twist, the mystery surrounding the rejection of Nikola Joki of the Denver Nuggets for the MVP award has finally been solved. The culprit for totally omitting the major pivot of their vote was identified as ESPN’s own Mark Jackson, who immediately issued an apology after being exposed on Thursday.
For more than a week, it was clear that one of the MVP voters had ignored Joki when the voting totals were released. Joki had received 15 first-place votes, 52 second-place votes and 32 third-place votes from the 100 voters, for a total of 99 appearances. Despite his absence, Joki won his third consecutive MVP award, as Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers won with a dominant 73 first-place votes. However, it was clear that this omission was done on purpose, to damage Joki’s prospects or make a statement against his candidacy, especially since he didn’t receive any votes for fourth or fifth place.
Finally, the NBA put an end to the uncertainty on Thursday by releasing the votes of all 100 voters. Mark Jackson, former NBA All-Star and coach of the Golden State Warriors, was the only member of the media to leave Joki out of his top 5.
A few hours after the discovery, Jackson went on SiriusXM to explain his behavior. He admitted that his vote was an unintentional “mistake” because he thought he was voting for All-NBA. He also expressed his genuine regret to Joki and the Nuggets for the lapse.
Since NBA fans analyzed the numbers last week, criticism of Jackson’s vote has been swift, with his broadcast colleague and former NBA player Charles Barkley being particularly vehement in criticizing the inaccuracy.
It’s worth mentioning that if a person really thinks a player doesn’t deserve a place among the league’s five most valuable players, they have the ability to omit him from their ballot. However, it is clear that this was not the case with the Jackson event, adding to the controversy surrounding the occurrence.
With the mystery answered and the apology made, attention can now turn to Joki’s remarkable season and the well-deserved praise he has received as one of the NBA’s best players.