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•Download the NBA App•Comprehensive Coverage of the 2024-25 NBA Awards•Kia Most Valuable Player Award: A History of Winners
The legendary Bill Russell, the iconic Larry Bird, and now, the standout from the Denver Nuggets, Nikola Jokić.
By securing the runner-up position in this year’s Kia NBA MVP voting, just behind Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokić has entered a select group as only the third player in NBA history to achieve a top-two finish for five or more consecutive years.
He claimed the prestigious award in 2021, 2023, and 2024, in addition to being the second in 2022 and this year.
The Celtics legends, Russell and Bird, were each recognized in either first or second place for six straight seasons.
Russell triumphed in 1958, 1961, 1962, and 1963, while earning the second spot in 1959 and 1960. Bird finished second in 1981, 1982, and 1983, before securing victory in 1984, 1985, and 1986.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1971-74) and Tim Duncan (2001-04) are the other athletes to achieve four consecutive top-two finishes. Michael Jordan and LeBron James each enjoyed two separate streaks of three consecutive top-two placements, but neither extended beyond that.
Jokić marked the sixth occasion of a player concluding a season with a triple-double average of 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game. However, only one of these instances resulted in an MVP award.
Oscar Robertson achieved a triple-double in 1961-62 but did not win the MVP that year. Russell Westbrook attained this feat four times yet secured the MVP award only once during that period.
Now, Jokić has finished as the runner-up following a season unlike any other statistically.
