Former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone made headlines this week as he tapped Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the rightful MVP. All over social media, fans have expressed shock at the comments, and some even came to Jokic's defense, like former head coach George Karl, who went viral for a recent statement on X.

George Karl is one of us. Even as a Pirates fan, he wouldn’t mind seeing somebody else buy the Rockies. He wants the best for Nikola Jokic, because Jokic is the best he’s ever seen

They weren't that thin for the Denver Nuggets. They were as thick as Nikola Jokić. The best player in the world had the 68-win Thunder on the ropes multiple times. Jokić outplayed presumptive MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a second-round series that went seven games but ended in an OKC blowout.

On Wednesday, the ESPN's Shams Charania revealed that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had been named the league's Most Valuable Player. This marks the first MVP award for the 26-year-old Canadian guard and the third in Thunder franchise history, following Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report identified the players he believed should be at the top of the list for the Nuggets this offseason. Two of those players offered to address the obvious need for depth. The other one was a franchise-altering pursuit.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been voted the 2024-25 NBA MVP, according to ESPN, and obviously, that means Nikola Jokić was not. Whether Jokić or Gilgeous-Alexander was the proper choice was a matter of intense debate throughout the season,