For the first time ever, the Denver Nuggets are headed to the NBA Finals, and the man who has led the way is center Nikola Jokic.
He won the regular-season MVP award in both of the previous two years, and he was named the Western Conference Finals MVP after his team swept the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jokic is one of the most improbable, if not the most improbable, MVPs in league history, as he was a second-round draft pick in 2014, and the Nuggets reminded everyone of the odds he overcame, such as being drafted during a Taco Bell commercial.
From quesaritos to the NBA Finals pic.twitter.com/da8XXWW8Lp
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) May 24, 2023
Jokic came from humble beginnings in Serbia, where he grew up in a small apartment, and he started his pro career as a teen in his native country.
He did ok as an NBA rookie, averaging 10.0 points and 7.0 rebounds a game and making the All-Rookie First-Team, but nothing suggested that he would become a future superstar.
It wasn’t until the 2018-19 season, his fourth in the league, that he made his first All-Star team, and the team around him was improving, as the Nuggets made the playoffs with him for the first time.
This season, it has all seemingly come together.
Although Jokic narrowly missed winning a third straight MVP, he nearly averaged a triple-double in the regular season, and he has been even more dominant in the playoffs, as he has set a postseason record for the most games with a triple-double.
Nikola Jokic now has the most-ever triple-doubles in one NBA postseason (8) 👏 pic.twitter.com/OQX6x76rFh
— ESPN (@espn) May 23, 2023
The Nuggets figure to be prohibitive favorites against the Miami Heat or the Boston Celtics in the championship series, and Denver’s first Larry O’Brien Trophy seems to be on its way.
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Magic Johnson Gives High Praise To Denver Nuggets Superstar
