During halftime of Game 4 of the Western Conference playoff showdown between the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets, TNT’s Charles Barkley called out the NBA MVP voter who decided not to put Nikola Jokić in the top five on their ballot.
After fellow TNT analyst Shaquille O’Neal praised Jokić’s abilities as a big man, Barkley launched into his screed.
“I gotta tell you something. It’s something that’s been bothering me,” Barkley said. “Joel (Embiid) deserved the MVP. And [Nikola Jokic] and Giannis (Antetokounmpo), they were 1-2-3, however you voted. There’s one person — I don’t even know this fool’s name — didn’t even have [Jokic] in the top five. People like that shouldn’t get a vote.”
Of the 100 NBA MVP voters, while winner Joel Embiid and runner-up Giannis Antetokounmpo both received a top-three vote from all 100, Jokić received top-three votes from 99 of them. The other voter didn’t even put Jokić in their top five.
When host Ernie Johnson argued that there may have been a mistaken omission or error, Barkley refused to budge.
“If you don’t think he should have been in the top five, you don’t deserve to vote,” Barkley said.
We don’t know who that voter is, but it would be pretty interesting if they would come forward and explain their rationale.
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