ESPN's Mark Jackson apologizes for leaving Jokic off MVP ballot
ESPN analyst Mark Jackson apologized Thursday for omitting Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic from his MVP ballot.
"One thing I live by: you make a mistake, you own it," Jackson said on SiriusXM NBA Radio. "I'm not a guy that does it for clicks or to be trending. Absolute mistake made by me."
Jackson received intense online scrutiny for his decision after awards ballots were made public. He explained that he listed two guards, two forwards, and one center - eventual winner Joel Embiid - on his MVP ballot. All-NBA voting, unlike MVP voting, currently factors in positions.
"I apologize to the Denver Nuggets," Jackson added. "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. And he is a top-10 center of all time. So, I own it. If you wanna take away my vote, (you're) more than welcome. I made a mistake."
The former NBA player and head coach issued a similar statement via Twitter.
Embiid won MVP in a landslide, earning 73 of 100 possible first-place votes. Jokic received 15 first-place, 52 second-place, and 32 third-place votes, meaning Jackson was the sole voter who left him off entirely.
End-of-season NBA awards, such as MVP, are voted on by a panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters.
Jackson has worked for ESPN as an analyst since 2014. He's part of the NBA Finals broadcast crew, alongside play-by-play commentator Mike Breen and fellow analyst Jeff Van Gundy.