The NBA on Thursday announced three finalists for its Most Valuable Player award.
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić and Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry all were named following impressive seasons.
Jokić is considered to be the favorite by many after averaging 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists for the Nuggets, leading the team in all three categories for his fourth straight season, while shooting 56.6% from the field. He led Denver to the No. 3 seed in the NBA's Western Conference ahead of the playoffs after teammate Jamal Murray went down due to injury.
Curry previously won the award in 2015 and 2016. He averaged 32.0 points, 5.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds on 48.2% shooting from the field and 43.3% shooting from 3-point range.
As for Embiid, the Sixers big man shot 51.3% from the field with 28.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, helping Philadelphia come out on top of a competitive Eastern Conference.
The league MVP typically is announced in June.
