Winning an MVP in three straight seasons has only been done thrice before in NBA history, with Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird all achieving the feat. However, Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is making a strong case to join the aforementioned exclusive club, especially after a stellar month of December that's allowed him to accomplish something that hasn't been done in over 54 years.
Nikola Jokic dropped yet another triple double in the Nuggets' 124-119 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night to put a cap on his historic December. In 14 games, the Serbian center averaged 29.2 points, 12.3 rebounds and 10.1 assists on 60.4 percent shooting – ridiculous numbers to say the least.
And in the process of doing so, Jokic became only the second player in NBA history besides Wilt Chamberlain to average a triple double on over 60 percent shooting from the field for an entire calendar month, per ESPN Stats & Info. (To put Chamberlain's ridiculous ability to put up stats in perspective, he achieved the feat in two straight months, back in February and March 1968.)
Nikola Jokic has remained the one constant that has kept the Nuggets atop the NBA standings amid Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.'s bouts with inconsistencies, injuries, and load management. Jokic is putting up such absurd numbers on a nightly basis that it's easy to take this kind of production for granted.
This torrid month of December has fueled MVP talks for Jokic once more, and deservedly so. At this point, it's looking like voter fatigue will be the two-time MVP's biggest roadblock.
Lots of fans who weren't able to watch Wilt Chamberlain play have always wondered how The Big Dipper is able to put up eye-popping stats. But they may need not look further than Jokic.
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