Nikola Jokic MVP voting: Nuggets star matches feat only achieved by Larry Bird in NBA history

While Nikola Jokic missed out on his fourth MVP award on Wednesday, he still made some NBA history.

By finishing second in the voting, the Nuggets center became the first player since Celtics great Larry Bird to finish top two in the MVP voting for five consecutive seasons, according to StatMuse.

Jokic won the award in 2021, 2022, and 2024 and finished second to the 76ers Joel Embiid in 2023. He challenged for it again in 2025 by averaging a triple-double, the first time he's done so in his 10-year career.

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Whether it was voter fatigue or just a historic season by Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous- Alexander that kept Jokic from winning back-to-back MVPs for the second time, he's still had a run of run of consistency that has rarely been achieved in NBA history.

Here's what to know about Nikola Jokic and the 2025 NBA MVP voting.

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Nikola Jokic 2025 NBA MVP voting

Jokic finished second in the 2025 NBA MVP voting behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, making him the first player since Larry Bird to finish top two in the MVP voting for five consecutive seasons.

Nikola Jokic is the first player since Larry Bird to be top two in MVP voting for five consecutive years. pic.twitter.com/J0Tr70Mm5Q

Jokic made a strong case to win the award for the fourth time by having arguably his best statistical season in 2024-25. He averaged a career-high 29.6 assists and 10.2 assists to go along with 12.7 rebounds. He also led the league with a player efficiency rating of 32.0.

It wasn't enough to overcome SGA's dominant season for a 68-win Thunder team, as Jokic garnered just 29 first-place votes compared to Gilgeous-Alexander's 71. Overall, SGA totaled 913 points while Jokic netted 787.

MVP voting results 👀 pic.twitter.com/P2jgDnxTJo

MORE: Why Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won 2025 NBA MVP

How many MVPs has Nikola Jokic won?

Jokic has won three MVP awards. He claimed the award in consecutive seasons in 2021 and 2022 and won it again in 2024, finishing ahead of Gilgeous-Alexander.

Nikola Jokic MVP finishes

Jokic began his streak of five consecutive top two finishes in MVP voting in 2021, the year he won the award for the first time. Jokic finished first again in 2022, second in 2023, first in 2024, and second in 2025. Here's a look at the first-place votes he received during this five-year stretch.