This is so awesome:

Nikola Jokic was picked 41st…

during a Taco Bell commercial.

Now, he’s the MVP 🏆https://t.co/NueEkIjQKT

— Sports Section (@SportsSection) June 8, 2021

He becomes the first-ever second round pick to go on to win MVP, and in fact the only player drafted later than 15th overall to win MVP, according to StatMuse:

MVP winners by draft pick:

1 — 21
2 — 10
3 — 7
4 — 2
5 — 2
6 — 3
7 — 2
8 — 1
9 — 1
10
11
12 — 1
13 — 3
14
15 — 4
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41 — 1 pic.twitter.com/5iBgNGEtTG

— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 8, 2021

He is the first center to win MVP since Shaq in 2000, which is wild. I don’t want to say Big Men Are Back just yet because obviously guys like LeBron, KD, Harden, Luka and Kawhi and all the rest of the guards/wings are still dominating the league, but big men have made a huge comeback after being “dead” for most of the past decade or so.

Jokic is just awesome. Everything about him. He’s funny, he looks unathletic, his game is somewhat unconventional. Somehow it works. I don’t know how he makes it work, but he does. Well-deserved. He averaged 26, 10.8rpg and 8apg this season. He’s been my top-ranked player in my statistical player rankings all year (I am working on updating them for a final regular season rankings currently).

I don’t know that we’ve ever seen a big man with the type of passing skills he has. It’s what makes him truly great and sets him apart from all the other big men in the league.

Final voting results:

So Jokic was the overwhelming pick for first place votes. He was pretty close to unanimous. I thought Chris Paul should’ve been higher, and I’m kind of surprised Curry was behind Embiid, although Philly was a much better team than Golden State so I get it.

A first place vote for Derrick Rose, though?