Nikola Jokic’s 2024–25 campaign continues to earn recognition as one of the greatest individual seasons in NBA history, despite not resulting in an MVP award.
Frank Urbina of HoopsHype ranked Jokic’s most recent season as the 10th-best season ever by a player who didn’t win MVP, highlighting just how dominant the Serbian big man was.
Jokic became the first non-guard in league history to average a triple-double over a full season, showcasing his unmatched versatility as a scorer, rebounder, and playmaker.
Even more impressively, he carried a Denver Nuggets squad that was riddled with injuries and shallow on bench depth to the No. 4 seed in the highly competitive Western Conference, keeping them in contention throughout the regular season.
As Urbina notes: “Jokic is the only player in league history to put up a 29/12/10 stat line, which makes the fact he didn’t win MVP in 2024–25 all the more hard to believe, at least if you’re looking at just the statistical case.”
This remarkable season follows a familiar pattern for the big man, whose 2022–23 campaign, another historically elite showing that ended in him finishing runner-up to Joel Embiid for MVP, was ranked just one spot lower, at 11th on Urbina’s list.
The back-to-back near-MVP years further reinforce Jokic’s consistency and all-time greatness, even as official recognition occasionally eludes him.
Urbina’s analysis underscores a broader point: the center is redefining what dominance looks like from the center position, yet his historically rare feats aren’t always reflected in hardware.
Jokic has played 10 seasons for the Nuggets. He has averaged 21.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in 745 regular-season games.
He was selected to play in 6 All-Star games. He has won 3 MVP awards, 1 Finals MVP award,d and 1 NBA championship.
Nuggets Notes: Offseason, Jokic, Malone https://t.co/n3wVgynMjv pic.twitter.com/BprDUKPkFE
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) May 24, 2025
