Michael Malone insists his heart is still with his old home. The former Denver Nuggets coach said Thursday that his longtime former star Nikola Jokić is his personal MVP after controversially suggesting the honor belonged to the Oklahoma City Thunder 's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Tuesday night.

After being fired following nearly 10 years of coaching three-time MVP Nikola Jokić, Gilgeous-Alexander’s biggest competition for this year’s award, Malone was effusive in his praise for Gilgeous-Alexander after his 31 points and nine assists led the Thunder over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is cultivating one of the best seasons in NBA History. The 26-year-old was recently named MVP and captured his first scoring title after averaging a career-high 32.