Here's where NBA blasphemy can start: the greatest centers of all time are Russell, Abdul-Jabbar, Chamberlain, Shaquille O'Neal, and Hakeem Olajuwon. Fans can put them in any order, but that's a pretty definitive list. However, with three MVPs, Jokic could already be ahead of both Shaq and Hakeem despite not being as physically dominant.

“This is my third or fourth year in a row, so I’m really — I don’t know. I cannot control it,” Jokić said. “Obviously, I think I’m playing the best basketball of my life. So if that’s enough, it’s enough. If not, the guy deserves it. He’s really amazing.” Nuggets coach Michael Malone was happy to step up and make the case for his guy.

The NBA MVP race was fully under the spotlight as Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets split back-to-back games with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday and Monday, and the former opened up about his chances for the award.