Former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone. Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Michael Malone sets record straight on controversial MVP take

By Sai Mohan | Last updated May 23, 2025 9:46 AM ET

Former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone caused an uproar this week when he said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander "showed why he's the MVP" with his 31-point performance in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

Malone's comments were viewed as a shot at Nikola Jokic, whom he previously called the deserving MVP. On Thursday, the ESPN analyst cleared the air on his MVP take during Game 2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder-Minnesota Timberwolves series.

"I did vote for him (Jokic) again this year, if I had a vote," Malone said. "I want to make sure the people in Denver know that because right now, I'm getting a lot of heat back home."

"I did vote for [Nikola Jokic] ... I want to make sure the people in Denver know that."

Michael Malone had to set the record straight pic.twitter.com/dIbYCeAQrh
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 23, 2025

Malone infamously lashed out at media analysts in March for picking SGA over Jokic as the MVP. He said Jokic would win the award "10 out of 10 times" for finishing the season top-three in four statistical categories — a feat never achieved by any player in NBA history. As such, many felt Malone backtracked on his earlier comments by calling SGA the MVP during his debut as an ESPN analyst.

The former NBA champion also caught flak for calling the OKC faithful "the best fans in the NBA," another comment that some perceived as a shot at the Nuggets, the team he coached for nearly 10 seasons.

Denver has seemingly moved on from the Malone era. On Thursday, they removed the interim tag from David Adelman, who did an admirable job coaching the team in the last leg of the regular season and through two rounds of the playoffs. The Nuggets fell in a Game 7 to the Thunder, but exceeded expectations in the eyes of many.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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