AP source: Denver Nugget’s Nikola Jokic wins 2nd straight NBA MVP award
The Hindu
A person familiar with the decision says Denver’s Nikola Jokic has won his second consecutive Most Valuable Player award, after a season in which he became the first player in league history to eclipse 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists mark in a single season
Denver’s Nikola Jokic has won his second consecutive Most Valuable Player award after a season in which he finished with numbers never before seen in league history, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press.
The NBA was preparing to make the announcement official in the coming days, likely this week, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Monday because the voting results have not been announced.
ESPN, citing sources, first reported that Jokic would be named the MVP.
The Nuggets’ 7-foot center was the first player in league history to eclipse 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season. And that sort of dominance by the player nicknamed “Joker” helped convince voters that he should be the 13th player of the NBA’s exclusive MVP back-to-back club.
The other finalists — who will finish second and third in some order — were Philadelphia center Joel Embiid, who led the league in scoring average, and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks.
Asian Games champion Avinash Sable opened his season in the 3000m steeple chase with a silver in the Portland Track Festival, a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze event, in Oregon on Saturday. He clocked 8:21.85s. Asian champion Parul Chaudhary took the bronze in the women’s 3000m steeple chase in a season-best 9:31.38s. Former Asian bronze medallist Sanjivani Jadhav struck gold in the women’s 10,000m in 32:22.77s, a time which was a second off her personal best, while Seema was sixth in 32:55.91s.