The case and debate for Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic to win his third straight NBA MVP took a seemingly different turn on ESPN First Take on Wednesday.
Kendrick Perkins said the debate for Jokic to be MVP again this season was another example of the goalposts being moved for certain players and not others. He pointed to the MVP seasons that Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki had in addition to the season Jokic had last season, saying that since 1990, only three MVP winners weren’t in the top ten in scoring.
“What do those guys have in common?” Perkins asked Stephen A. Smith. “I’ll let it sit there and marinate. You think about it.”
On 104.3 The Fan in Denver on Wednesday, Stokley and Zach host Zach Bye took Perkins’ comments like a lot of others reacting on social media to it did, seeming to think Perkins was bringing race into the debate.
Bye said it was ridiculous to try and diminish the accomplishments of Nash and Nowitzki while also glossing over just how great a season Jokic is having in 2022-23.
“To take away from Nash and Dirk, who are two of the greatest players we’ve ever seen and reduce it down to race – we’re talking about Jokic who’s got the number one team in the Western Conference and is averaging a triple-double,” Bye said. “And he’s doing it in the most efficient manner we’ve ever seen.”
Bye added that it’s changed his views on Perkins a little bit considering how he’s been a fan of his TV work over the years.
“I’ve really liked Kendrick Perkins, and really liked some of the angles he’s come from and his realness,” he said. “I am disappointed that this is where the conversation has gone. Because we’re watching one of the great seasons ever and to blend in race with it I don’t know what to do with that. It’s not okay.”
“It’s an awful take. Like why even go down that road?” Stokley said.
