ESPN analyst hints at notion Nikola Jokic has won MVPs, is favorite to win again because he’s white

Nikola Jokic is the favorite to win his third-straight NBA MVP award.

The Serbia native is on track to become the fourth player in NBA history to win three consecutive MVPs, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Larry Bird.

Jokic is averaging a triple-double (24.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, 10.0 assists) for the first-place Denver Nuggets.

But former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins, now an ESPN analyst, says there is racial hypocrisy in the award voting.

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On Wednesday’s edition of “First Take,” Perkins acknowledged that only three players since 1990 have won an MVP despite finishing outside the top 10 in points per game: Jokic, his first MVP in 2020-21 campaign, Dirk Nowitzki (2006–07) and Steve Nash (2004–05, 2005–06).

“What do those guys have in common? I’ll let it sit there and marinate. You think about it,” he told co-host Stephen A. said examining Smith.

He also used a famous Jay-Z song: “Is it ‘Ochy Valley’ or is it ‘A Mike?'”

The rhyme scheme suggested that rival Nas’ songs sent two distinct messages. “Ochi Valley” has misogynistic lyrics, while “One Mike” is more socially conscious. The lyrics have now become a phrase commonly used to call out hypocrisy and double standards.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic shoots against the New York Knicks during the first half of a game on Dec. 4, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

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Perkins also tweeted the same response he had on television, but in video After being deleted.

Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic (15) during a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 26, 2022 at The Ball Arena in Denver, Colo. (Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)

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Jokic dropped his 100th career triple-double earlier this week, but Perkins has criticized the big man in the past for stat padding.