On Thursday afternoon, ballots for every end-of-season NBA award were publicized. In the MVP race, runner-up Nikola Jokic made the top five of every voter’s ballot except for one person’s: Mark Jackson. When folks on Twitter caught news of that wind, the app was a firestorm, with a slew of people upset by Jackson’s decision. While I’m not personally one to haggle of a single voter’s ballot, the frustration was understandable to a degree. Jokic had a phenomenal season and was certainly deserving of a top-three finish, let alone a top-five finish.
Later in the day, Jackson appeared on SiriusXM to speak with Justin Termine and Eddie Johnson. During the interview, Jackson clarified that Jokic’s omission was a mistake. Jackson’s apology was lengthy, sincere and contrite. He clearly felt remorse for his gaffe and relayed that on-air.
“I apologize to Nikola Jokić. I apologize to the Denver Nuggets”
@MarkJackson13 explains his mistake of leaving Nikola Jokić off his MVP ballot on NBA Radio@TermineRadio | @Jumpshot8 | @nuggets pic.twitter.com/wO7KZJN2mo
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) May 11, 2023
“One thing I live by, you make a mistake, you own it. I’m not a guy that does it for clicks or to be trending, absolute mistake made by me,” Jackson said. “I apologize to the Denver Nuggets. I apologize to Nikola Jokic, who is not only in the MVP discussion and deserved to be on my ballot, but he’s one of the greatest players in the history of this game. He’s a top-10 center of all-time.
“If you wanna take away my vote or do whatever, you’re more than welcome. I made a mistake. … Incredible year by him. He continues to make history. I own the mistake and I apologize.”
Jackson said Joel Embiid, who earned his first MVP award this season, was still his top choice, joined by Jokic and Antetokounmpo in the top three. But it was rather apparent how he felt about this misstep and he took full responsibility for failing to include Jokic on his ballot.