That's what's providing so much comedy for me. It's possible to acknowledge several things at once that aren't actually at odds with each other:
Yes, the media has shifted their criteria for MVP over the years (though the trend in MLB and NBA as of late is the voters are increasingly loyal to advanced evaluative stats)
Yes, white media members and fans have an inclination toward tribalism and that certainly worked in Bird's favor (no knock on his greatness) in Nash's favor (I've always been conflicted about his back to back MVPs) and to a lesser extent the prominent Euro players.
Yes, Joker has been a deserving candidate for the past 3 seasons, and his numbers absolutely justify this, by every measure. Voter fatigue or not, Giannis not getting a 3rd straight MVP wasn't a miscarriage of justice. No need to invent convoluted illogical connections and causal relationships about how one guy finished 4th in the voting in 20XX despite having 55 wins and another guy only won a single MVP, and Karl Malone got MJ's MVP so Jokic winning another MVP means we have to demolish the Naismith Memorial Center. The world will go on, and none of your favorite players of yesteryear will be forgotten. Jokic ain't cool or popular enough to shift mainstream narratives to that extent.
And if we're on the topic of "deserve" and history and injustice.... the players who have won MVP with the worst advanced evaluative stats have been coli cult heroes but few people revisit those cases, because it turns out nikkas can be just as tribal as CACs when they see themselves in a candidate.
Even among the greatest of the great, Magic probably snatched two MVPs that should've been MJ's. Malone over MJ was bullshyt. But Malone actually had a stronger argument (by the numbers) the year he finished second to MJ. Nash and AI arguably cost Shaq two more MVPs. D. Rob 100% deserved his MVP, and still got absolutely styled on by a better player who had a worse regular season. shyt happens. Incidentally, the year Dream won MVP, his numbers weren't even close to fukkin with D. Rob's, which were out of this solar system. Barkley probably didn't deserve his MVP (another one MJ should've had) but he might've deserved one that Magic won.
shyt happens. And the game survives. And the great players are still remembered as great.
Like it or not, Joker is a living legend.
Your future 3-time MVP
I was too busy watching the Clippers put a beating on the Raptors last night
godforbid they run into the suns, they gonna put him in a blender
