Basketball legends usually stick to the script. They praise the greats, talk about the "grind," and keep things relatively safe. But Dwyane Wade isn't really doing that lately. The 2006 Finals MVP recently sparked a massive debate that’s still rippling through sports bars and Twitter threads. He went on his podcast, The WY Network, and basically said what a lot of old-school fans have been whispering: Is Nikola Jokic winning too many MVPs for a guy whose team isn't always at the top of the standings?
It’s a spicy take. Honestly, it's the kind of talk that makes the Dwyane Wade Nikola Jokic MVP discussion so fascinating because it pits "the eye test" against "the spreadsheet."
Wade didn’t hold back. He pointed out that while Jokic’s numbers are basically video game stats, the team success hasn't always matched the hardware. "One thing I’ve had an issue with in the MVP race is that Jokic has been so amazing, but it’s probably been like two times where his team been in fifth," Wade said. He’s talking about the 2021-22 season specifically, where the Nuggets finished 6th in the West. Back then, Jokic won it anyway because he was essentially carrying a roster of role players while Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. were sidelined.
But for a guy like Wade—who played in an era where you usually had to be a top-two seed to even get a look—that 6th-place MVP feels like a glitch in the system.
The "Quarterback" Problem: Wade’s Saquon Barkley Analogy
Wade isn't just hating on the Joker. He actually thinks the way we vote for MVPs has become too much like the NFL. In football, the MVP is almost always a quarterback. In the modern NBA, it’s become a "big man" award. Between Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, a center or power forward has won the last six trophies.
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Wade used a Saquon Barkley analogy to explain it. He argued that just like a running back or a wide receiver in the NFL often deserves the MVP but gets ignored for a QB, guards in the NBA are getting snubbed because bigs have more statistical "gravity."
He’s been banging the drum for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA). Wade straight up said SGA should have won the 2024 MVP over Jokic. Why? Because the Thunder were the number one seed and Shai had that "swag" and "winning impact" that Wade values. To him, the Dwyane Wade Nikola Jokic MVP discussion isn't about whether Jokic is good—he clearly thinks the guy is a genius—it’s about what the award is actually supposed to represent.
The Stats vs. The Swag
If you look at the numbers for the 2024-25 season, it's hard to argue against Jokic. The man averaged a triple-double. Literally.
- Nikola Jokic: 29.6 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 10.2 APG
- SGA: 32.7 PPG, 6.4 APG, 5.0 RPG
Jokic became the first player in history to rank in the top ten for points, rebounds, assists, and steals in a single season. That’s absurd. It’s "best player to ever touch a basketball" territory. But Wade’s point is that stats don't tell the whole story. He’s an "eye test" guy. He saw Jokic at the Paris Olympics letting the ball bounce on the floor after an opponent scored just to bleed the clock—a move Wade called "extraordinary" intelligence.
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He respects the brain. He just doesn't necessarily respect the 5th-seed MVP.
Why This Discussion Matters for 2026
We’re now looking at the possibility of Jokic winning a fourth or even fifth MVP. If he gets a fourth, he joins LeBron James and Wilt Chamberlain. If he gets a fifth, he’s in the Michael Jordan and Bill Russell tier.
That is heavy stuff.
Wade’s skepticism represents a large portion of the NBA fraternity that feels like we’re crowning Jokic as a Top 10 player of all time a little too fast. The "winning time" argument is real. Wade noted that voters often "hawk down" players at the end of the year. If the Nuggets are hovering around 4th or 5th place, even if Jokic is averaging 30/15/10, Wade thinks the trophy should go to the guy leading the best team.
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It’s the classic "Best Player" vs. "Most Valuable to a Winning Team" debate.
Honestly, the Dwyane Wade Nikola Jokic MVP discussion won't end until Jokic either wins another ring or someone like SGA or Luka Doncic finally breaks the big-man streak. Wade is just the most high-profile voice willing to say that the "Joker Fatigue" isn't just about being bored of the same guy—it's about holding him to the same standard of team success that legends like Kobe, Shaq, and Wade himself were held to.
Takeaway Insights for the Fan
If you're following the MVP race this year, keep these "Wade Rules" in mind:
- Seeding is a tiebreaker: If two players are close in stats, look at the standings. A 1st-seed finish usually carries more weight with former players than a 6th-seed triple-double.
- The Guard Renaissance: Keep an eye on the narrative shifting toward guards. The league hasn't seen a guard win since James Harden in 2018. The "voter fatigue" with centers is real.
- Clutch Performance: Wade calls the end of the season "winning time." That’s when the "eye test" happens. One bad week in April can cost a player the MVP, regardless of what they did in November.
The debate isn't going anywhere. Whether you side with Wade’s "winning matters" philosophy or the analytics community’s "Jokic is a god" stance, one thing is for sure: the standard for being the Most Valuable Player is changing, and not everyone is happy about it.
To stay ahead of the next debate, track the weekly on-off splits for the top three candidates. If the Nuggets' net rating falls off a cliff when Jokic sits, his "value" becomes undeniable, even to skeptics like Wade. Watch how many games the Thunder win by 15+ points; if SGA keeps blowing teams out, the "winning" argument becomes a landslide.