There has been much debate regarding who should win the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award. It’s arguable that Michael Jordan and LeBron James should have won at least 10 of them between them if the award were meant to go to the greatest player.

There is no universal agreement on what constitutes a “Most Valuable Player.” In addition, voters that rely on the media tend to be narrative-based, which might lead to emotional judgments rather than logical ones.

This year’s winner, Joel Embiid, deserved it. While he certainly did deserve it, some fans can’t help but feel that other deserving celebrities were overlooked. The information you need to know about them will be provided below.

3. Jayson Tatum

The Boston Celtics maintained the highest level of consistency during the NBA season. A slide caused them to fall behind the Milwaukee Bucks, but they were still considered the favorites to win the Eastern Conference.

Naturally, much of the credit for that goes to Jayson Tatum and his outstanding performance. The youthful forward shot 46.6% from the field and averaged 30.1 points, 8.8 boards, 4.6 assists, 1.1 steals, and 3.2 three-pointers per game, all career highs.

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Boston Celtics were the most consistent team in the NBA. Even though they had just fallen behind the Milwaukee Bucks due to a slump, they were still widely regarded as the best team in the Eastern Conference.

That’s mostly due to Jayson Tatum’s great performance, of course. The young forward’s 46.6% field goal percentage and career highs of 30.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.1 steals, and 3.2 three-pointers per game were impressive.

1. Nikola Jokic

The MVP voting was mostly in Nikola Jokic’s favor this season. But it appears that the public as a whole has been unwilling to honor him for three years running, even though his previous accomplishments should have no bearing on his standing this year.

The Denver Nuggets dominated the Western Conference, and Nikola Jokic was the top player in the NBA by almost every advanced statistic. He shot an astounding 63.2% from the field while averaging 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.