NBA MVP race: A complete history of voter fatigue and how Nikola Jokic is avoiding it in 2023
What exactly is voter fatigue? It's perhaps the most-discussed element of the 2023 NBA MVP race, and yet it seems to lack a specific definition. On the most basic level, it refers to the idea that awards voters tend to favor newer candidates. When an incumbent or established winner seeks a second trophy and loses to a newcomer, it is often invoked by the more experienced candidate's supporters. "Voters are bored of Player X's greatness," they'll say. It is a concept that is applied somewhat selectively. After all, the NBA has awarded 67 regular-season MVP trophies, and more than one third of them (24 out of 67) have been given to just five players: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James. A total of 13 players have won the award in consecutive seasons, and other awards are even more dynastic. The last 30 Defensive Player of the Year awards hav...