Michael Malone isn’t the only former Nuggets head coach to weigh in on the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Nikola Jokic MVP debate.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was finally announced as the MVP of the 2024-25 NBA season. His win was all but confirmed after the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s brilliant season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo even poked fun at how obvious Shai’s MVP win was. But as obvious as it may have been, it is still a monumental moment.
One of the big talking points coming out of Game 1 between the Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves was Michael Malone‘s comments on the MVP race.
Malone, who just a few months ago was singing the praises of Nikola Jokic as MVP, seemed to switch his MVP vote to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after his Nuggets firing. But not all former Nuggets coaches agree.
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George Karl took to X after the announcement of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP win. Unlike Malone, Karl disagrees with the decision.
He noted that Nikola Jokic should have won his fourth MVP award, and felt that he was the obvious and only winner.
“Jokic was the MVP again this season, and it wasn’t that close. But I guess I’m the only former Nuggets coach who knows that.”
Karl has long been a strong advocate for Nikola Jokic, not just because of his Nuggets association, but for the level of play he has shown the last few years.
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Is there a valid argument to be made for Nikola Jokic to win? Of course. Jokic is a statistical anomaly and had yet another brilliant season from a numbers standpoint.
But given that SGA led the NBA in scoring and did it while leading the Thunder to the best record in the NBA, he was the heavy favorite.
Last season, Shai’s numbers and healthy regular-season record weren’t enough to surpass Jokic in the MVP voting.
But this win for Shai has been a long time coming, and whatever you may think of him as a player, it’s hard to argue against his win.
