“I apologize to Nikola Jokic” – Former Warriors HC Mark Jackson IDENTIFIED as only voter who snubbed Nuggets star in MVP voting
“An honest mistake” cries Mark Jackson after being identified as the voter who didn’t have Jokic in his Top 5.
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Mark Jackson and Nikola Jokic (Image Via User-Generated Content)
The Most Valuable Player award, one of the NBA’s hottest discussions, has raised some interesting drama these past few days. While Joel Embiid was chosen as the MVP this year, the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic ended in a close second. Jokic, who won the MVP award the past two seasons, i.e. 2021 and 2022, was always a part of MVP discussions. This was except for one person, who has now been identified.
Charles Barkley recently roasted a voter for not even including Nikola Jokic in their Top 5 Ballot. Barkley said, “There’s one person…I don’t even know this fool’s name. He didn’t even have [Jokic] in the top 5. People like that shouldn’t get a vote. He’s a fu***ng idiot.” This was in response to the news of ballots coming out. Reports said Jokic only received 15 first-position votes, 52 second-position votes, and 32 third-position votes. What this, in turn, suggested was that Jokic found a place on 99 ballots out of 100.
Now the question arises: who was the 100th person who didn’t even place Jokic in their Top 5? It was Mark Jackson, and per him, it was an honest mistake. On the NBA’s Sirius XM Podcast, Jackson came out and apologized to Jokic and everyone else for this “honest mistake.” Jackson started off by saying, “One thing I live by, you make a mistake, you own it. I’m not a guy that does it for clicks or to be trending. Absolute mistake made by me.”
He then added, “You can tell, I put one center, two forwards, and two guards, so I wasn’t even thinking.” As he tried to give a reason. Jackson then said, “I apologize to the Denver Nuggets, I apologize to Nikola Jokić, who is not only in the MVP discussion and deserved to be on my ballot, but he’s one of the greatest players in the history of this game. He’s a Top-10 center of all time.”
Related: Nikola Jokic reveals $25,000 reason for pre-game moment with Suns owner Mat Ishbia
Joel Embiid, MVP this season, takes the dub as Jokic finishes second
Mark Jackson, while apologizing for the mistake, admitted that he would still choose Joel Embiid over Jokic. Jackson said, “I would have still voted for Joel Embiid, the MVP, but with Giannis and Joker second and third.” Jackson also offered to accept serious punishment for this “mistake,” he said, “If you want to take away my vote or whatever, you’re more than welcome. I made a mistake… I own the mistake and I apologize.”
While the MVP award tends to be a controversial topic very often, Joel Embiid winning the MVP award didn’t come as a surprise to many. Embiid was the driving force behind the 76ers’ success this entire season. Joel Embiid’s impressive performances have led the Philadelphia 76ers to the playoffs, where he outplayed notable competitors. Despite injuries, he had a significant impact in the playoffs and led the 76ers to a clean-sweep victory against the Brooklyn Nets. While their aspirations go beyond the playoffs and MVP award, Embiid’s leadership makes them a formidable force in the playoffs, aiming to capture the championship title.
As for Nikola Jokic, the goal didn’t end with the MVP award either. The Nuggets are now almost on the verge of entering the Conference Finals after defeating the Phoenix Suns. It’ll be interesting to see who gets their hands at the Championship between both the MVP leaders. Will it be Embiid, Jokic, or someone else? Stay tuned to find out!
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Harshit Singh
(434 Articles Published)