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May 9 (UPI) -- Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic will be named the NBA's Most Valuable Player for the 2021-22 season. Sources told ESPN, the Denver Post and The Athletic on Monday that Jokic was voted the winner of the honor for the second-consecutive season. He is expected to receive the award later this week.
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Jokic, 27, totaled a career-high 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game this season. The 6-foot-11, 284-pound center led the Nuggets to a 48-34 regular-season record and the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference.
The No. 3 Golden State Warriors beat the Nuggets 4-1 in their best-of-seven game first-round playoff series.
Jokic led all players in the series with averages of 31 points and 13.2 rebounds per game. He also averaged 5.8 assists through the Nuggets' five playoff games.
The Serbian is the 13th player in NBA history to win consecutive NBA MVP awards. Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo claimed the honor in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James won the award four times in five seasons from 2008-09 through 2012-13. Only Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird and Bill Russell won the award in three-consecutive seasons.
Jokic is only under contract through next season, when he is set to receive a base salary of $32.4 million. The Nuggets are expected to offer Jokic a contract extension in excess of $250 million.
