Nikola Jokic, the star center for the Denver Nuggets, reflected on winning the team’s first championship last season, expressing that he felt more relief than joy. The significance of the championship for the millions of fans of the organization contributed to the overwhelming sense of relief for Jokic.
He mentioned that seeing videos of fans celebrating in their homes emphasized the impact they have on people’s lives by playing basketball. Jokic believes that the goal for players should be to make other people happy, and winning the championship brought a sense of relief knowing what it meant to the fans.
Despite the relief, Jokic had an outstanding playoff run, one of the greatest in recent memory, to secure the title. After narrowly missing out on the regular-season MVP, he delivered impressive performances in the playoffs, averaging 30.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists. Jokic led the playoffs in various statistical categories, solidifying his status as one of the modern greats in the sport.
In a rare full-length interview on Michael Porter Jr.’s podcast, Jokic shared his perspective on the best players in the NBA at the moment. He mentioned a mix of young and old stars, including Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Jokic acknowledged the difficulty of ranking players in a top-five or top-10 list, emphasizing the subjective nature of individual preferences. Notably, he mentioned his close friend Luka Doncic and the high-profile competitive rivalry with Joel Embiid.
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