Nikola Jokic hands over NBA MVP trophies to his horses

Despite being grateful to win a third NBA MVP award, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic doesn’t have much use for the accompanying Michael Jordan Trophy.

Recognized in a ceremony on Tuesday before dominating Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals series against Denver, the Serbian center revealed that the trophy does bring him some sort of joy, reports Reuters.

He said he’s grateful to get another MVP, but for him it was just basketball.

Following this, he went on to score 40 points with 13 assists and seven rebounds to lift the Nuggets over the Minnesota Timberwolves and to a 3-2 edge in the series.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid was the only other player to win the Michael Jordan Trophy since the NBA renamed the MVP award in 2022.

He was moved to tears while his son ran toward him during an emotional acceptance speech in the home court in Philadelphia last summer

Jokic, however, famously accepted his second of three MVP awards in his horse stable in May 2022.

On Tuesday, he said he didn’t know why other players cried when they won the trophy.

“What I do is I end up giving it to my horses to play with, that brings joy in my heart.”