For the first time in modern NBA history, a second-round Draft pick is the league MVP. Nikola Jokic’s coronation as the top player in the Association for the 2020-21 season was capped off on Tuesday afternoon, when word leaked that the Denver Nuggets’ superstar would take home this season’s MVP award. While there were a number of other outstanding players this season, Jokic has been the obvious choice to take home the trophy for weeks.
The “first second-round pick to win MVP” distinction says a ton about Jokic’s game, the Nuggets’ scouting/developmental folks, and the fact that the best players don’t necessarily have to be taken in the first round. It also led to a number of people remembering the unique circumstance under which Jokic got drafted: while ESPN aired a Taco Bell commercial.
Never forget Nikola Jokic got drafted during a Taco Bell commercial
Congrats on MVP pic.twitter.com/d6gsRBqR1f
— 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩¹³
(@thehurryupnba) June 8, 2021
This pick is in! (during a Taco Bell commercial…)
Flashback to 2014 when the Denver Nuggets selected Nikola Jokic with the No. 41 overall pick. pic.twitter.com/vwmJB9tw4a
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 8, 2021
Congrats to Nikola Jokic, aka the man who was drafted during a Taco Bell commercial pic.twitter.com/ITr3iN7zEi
— 6 Seasons and a Moving Screen (@NBAGreendale) June 8, 2021
“Two things you only dream of coming together.”
Little did we know, this Taco Bell commercial was predicting the future for the Denver Nuggets.
*started from the bottom now we HAVE NIKOLA JOKIC THE MVP* pic.twitter.com/ZQJhjvcLlY
— Katy Winge (@katywinge) June 8, 2021
never forget when they played a taco bell commercial over nikola jokic getting drafted…
7 years later they’ll broadcast him receiving his mvp award
pic.twitter.com/MT7NXP4n8w
— buckets (@buckets) June 8, 2021
A reminder that the NBA MVP, Nikola Jokić, was drafted while ESPN was airing a @tacobell commercial for Quesaritos. pic.twitter.com/euGT7Qo7e5
— Covers (@Covers) June 8, 2021
Nikola Jokic really went from being drafted during a Taco Bell commercial to being named the 2020-2021 NBA MVP
“Anything is possible” pic.twitter.com/PM7sKnmFLQ
— JP
(PLAYOFFSSZN) (@HoodieJP1) June 8, 2021
Congratulations to Nikola Jokic on becoming the first MVP in NBA history to be drafted during a Taco Bell commercial pic.twitter.com/7KlulBMppk
— Steve Helwick (@s_helwick) June 8, 2021
Nikola Jokic was picked 41st…
during a Taco Bell commercial.
Now, he’s the MVP
pic.twitter.com/NueEkIjQKT
— The Association (@association) June 8, 2021
Very important: Imagine Kevin Harlan screaming “quesarito.” Ok, now that that’s out of the way, this is hardly a knock on ESPN or anything like that — you should not, under basically any circumstance, assume that a second-round selection is going to turn into a basketball god — more a funny reminder of how far Jokic has come. But having said that, Jokic didn’t catch everyone by surprise. Check out the date on this tweet:
PSA TO THE NBA: NIKOLA JOKIC IS COMING OVER THIS YEAR. PICKED BY THE NUGGETS AT #41 IN 2014, HE WILL DOMINATE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE AND LAUGH.
— donyatesacab (@donyatesnba) June 28, 2015
As for how the laughing thing turned out…
The MVP is a part-time comedian
(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/tgRhUikQPQ
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 8, 2021
Pretty accurate!