If you were to walk into a gym and spot Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets working out, your first thought might naturally be, “He must be a basketball player,” given his towering stature of nearly 7 feet. However, it’s unlikely that you would immediately draw comparisons to young LeBron James or Wilt Chamberlain based on his physique alone.

Last week, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets was honored as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the third time in four years, a recognition that speaks volumes about his dedication, focus, and relentless drive for improvement rather than relying solely on extraordinary physical attributes.

With this third MVP award, Jokic joins an illustrious group of NBA legends including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6 MVPs), Michael Jordan (5), Bill Russell (4), LeBron James (4), Wilt Chamberlain, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson (3). 

While there are numerous statistical achievements that highlight Jokic’s remarkable performance, one notable milestone is his feat of becoming only the second player, after the legendary Oscar Robertson, to record 2,000 points, 900 rebounds, and 600 assists in a single season.

However, unlike many of the aforementioned basketball icons, the journey of the big Serbian to NBA stardom was not paved with the fanfare of a top draft pick or the hype surrounding a high school prodigy blessed with exceptional physical attributes and skill sets. 

Jokic had to bide his time until the second round of the 2014 draft when he was selected forty-first overall by the Nuggets. In his initial season, his contributions were modest, with single-digit averages in points and rebounds. Even in his second season, while showing improvement in these areas, he had not yet established himself as an elite NBA player.

But over the ensuing years, his productivity continued to increase steadily, and this year, counting his average of 9 assists and 26.4 points per game, Jokic has contributed to scoring nearly 45 points each time the Nuggets take the floor. The former second-round pick gradually became the centerpiece of a great team that won the 2023 NBA Finals, with Jokic getting the final seal of approval as an elite player: the Finals MVP.