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WATCH: Nikola Jokic surprised in native Serbia with NBA MVP award

What most of the world has known for the past week is now official. Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic earned his second consecutive NBA MVP award after yet another brilliant campaign in 2021-22.

It wasn’t official until Wednesday when the league announced that Jokic had defeated fellow finalists Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo ahead of TNT’s broadcast of the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks playoff game.

So, what was Jokic doing when it was officially announced he’s won the MVP for a second consecutive season? We’re glad you asked. He was riding a horse in his native Serbia as the Nuggets made their way to Eastern Europe to surprise him with the trophy.

What followed from Nikola Jokic was just beautiful. Check it out.

Typically, an MVP winner is able to be presented the award on the court before a playoff game. With Jokic and his Nuggets eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in the first round, that was not possible here.

This doesn’t make the scene from Serbia any less special. It’s almost as awesome as Jokic was on the court for an injury-plagued Nuggets team during the 2021-22 regular season.

  • Nikola Jokic stats (2021-22): 27.1 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 7.9 APG, 58% shooting

Most billed this to be a two-headed MVP race between Jokic and Embiid. When the final vote was tallied, that wasn’t the case. Jokic received 65 of a possible 100 first-place votes with Embiid gaining nine first-place votes. Giannis got nine of his own.

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