Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is reportedly the 2021-22 NBA MVP, meaning Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid is the runner-up once again. However, a lot of people are not happy with the result, including former league champion Stephen Jackson.
Jackson went on a lengthy rant on Twitter and called for voting changes after it was revealed that Embiid lost the award. He lambasted the media voters for not knowing anything about basketball, which he believes is proven by the fact that the Nuggets center won over his Sixers counterpart.
For Jackson, Jokic is not a back-to-back MVP, even comparing the situation to Steve Nash's controversial MVP wins in 2005 and 2006.
“Some kind of way we've got to get a hold of this voting sh*t, man. Jokic is great, better than I ever was. I ain't taking nothing from him, but he is not a back-to-back MVP just like Steve Nash wasn't a back-to-back MVP. These are just facts, man,” Jackson said, via Fresno Bee.
“Its other players having great years — career years — whose teams have a chance to win the championship. And if you know the game, you know Denver did not have a chance to win the championship. That’s just speaking facts, not taking nothing from him. Just the facts, bro. All these people that never made a basket or got a rebound voting, living their dreams through a keyboard and messing up the game and affecting people’s careers. I got an idea: the Top-75, why don’t you let them vote? The Top-75 players of all time, let them vote for the MVP every year. It’s that simple. Stop letting these people vote, who are living their dreams through a keyboard and never had a chance to take a shot, get a rebound, or a charge. For real, this [expletive] is crazy. Joel Embiid, you got f***ed.”
The MVP voting has long been a controversial topic, and for good reason. There is actually no definite criteria for MVP, so it is up to the media voters on what they believe should be considered for MVP–from the eye test, stats, narratives and more.
Nikola Jokic has the MVP numbers, which is why it is easy to see how he won. Not to mention that the narrative favors him, as he carried the Nuggets to the playoffs even without his two best supporting cast.
Of course Joel Embiid is equally deserving. The Sixers star has simply dominated, getting it done on both ends of the floor. Unfortunately, it just wasn't enough to get more voters give him their first place selection.
While Stephen Jackson makes a good point about the process, it is important to note that the MVP voting considers the regular season alone. Winning helps in the MVP race, but the Nuggets and Sixers have near identical records during the 2021-22 campaign.
In the end, it's just hard to argue over MVP considering the different standards people have.
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