As the confetti sweeps off the floor of the ball arena and the smell of champagne lingers in the Nuggets’ locker room, it’s time to move on to an important part of any sports talk show: where does this guy stand?
For Nikola Jokić it’s a complicated question. In many ways, the NBA has never seen a player like him. Otherwise, there are a handful of comparable resumes from some of the sport’s most notable names.
In terms of the best players ever picked in the middle of a Taco Bell commercial, Jokić’s career is second to none. But let’s look at the raw numbers and timeline to compare legendary careers and see where the Joker stands after winning his first ring.
Here is his resume as a quick reminder:
- 28 years old (eighth year in the league)
- Two MVPs
- Five-time All-NBA
- Career averages: 20.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.7 blocks per game, 55.3 percent from the field, 34.8 percent from 3
- First player to lead all players in points, rebounds, and assists in an entire postseason
- First player to have 10 triple-doubles in a single postseason
Shaquille O’Neal
At the time of his first championship 1999–2000:
- Age: 27
- MVPs: One (completed with one)
- All-NBA Teams: Seven (graduated at 14)
- Seven-season career averages: 27.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.7 steals, 2.7 blocks, 57.7 percent from the field, 5.9 percent from 3
- No. 8 on The Athletic’s all-time top 75 list.
Although O’Neal’s first ring is the stylistic opposite of Jokić, it bears some parallels to Jokić’s mastery. O’Neal’s megastar success began earlier than Jokić’s as the 1992 No. 1 pick was in his second season All-NBA. But after three years of postseason deficits — including a win in the 1995 Finals — Shaq relocated to Los Angeles, where he teamed with teenage phenom Kobe Bryant and won three straight titles. Jokić also had deficits after the season, with the big difference that the teams led by Jokić had previously reached the conference finals and the conference semifinals.
O’Neal made it into the NBA’s historic top flight in two ways: through his dominance at his best and through his overall longevity. He retained his ancestral home on All-NBA teams through 2008. Jokić is heading for a similar phase, having remained remarkably healthy throughout his career, but he will need a similarly elite supporting cast to reach four rings.
(Photo: Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)
At the time of his first championship 2020-21:
- Age: 26
- MVP’s: Two
- All-NBA Teams: Five (currently seven)
- Career eight-season averages: 20.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.3 blocks, 53.2 percent from the field, 28.7 percent from 3
- No. 24 on The Athletic’s all-time top 75 list.
The international prodigies have fascinatingly parallel careers behind them. Like Jokić, Antetokounmpo’s career got off to a promising but slow start. He only made it as a full-time starter in his third season, won his first straight MVP title in his sixth straight season, and then won his first championship in his first year of not winning an MVP.
Who was this season’s MVP? Jokić, of course, who also became a full-time starter in his third year, won his first consecutive MVP title in his sixth season and then won his first championship in his first year of not winning an MVP. Jokić can only hope his subsequent postseason seasons will bring more team success than Antetokounmpo’s as The Greek Freak has yet to make it back to the conference finals.
Moses Malone
At the time of his first championship in 1982–83:
- Age: 27
- MVPs: Three (completed with three)
- All-NBA teams: Five (finally eight)
- Seven-season career averages: 22.7 points, 14.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.6 blocks, 51.8 percent from the field, 5.3 percent from 3
- No. 18 on The Athletic’s all-time top 75 list.
It took Malone a change of scenery and a pair with Julius Erving to win his first ring in 1983, the year of his third MVP award. Between the ABA and NBA, Malone played for nine different teams over the course of his 17-year career and retired as the greatest offensive rebounder in basketball history.
Much like the silent Jokić lets his MVP player talk without owning all of his team’s possessions, Malone didn’t talk much and dominated games as a rebounder, transforming entire games with a single facet. He only made the playoffs once after the 1983 Ring, losing to the Celtics in the 1985 Conference Finals.
(Photo: Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)
Hakeem Olajuwon
At the time of his first championship in 1993–94:
- Age: 31
- MVPs: One (completed with one)
- All-NBA Teams: Eight (graduated at 12)
- Nine-season career averages: 23.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.9 steals, 3.6 blocks, 51.6 percent from the field, 17.5 percent from 3
- No. 11 on The Athletic’s all-time top 75 list.
Olajuwon joined a very different team in Houston than Jokić in Denver in 1984/85. Along with Ralph Sampson, the Rockets reached the NBA Finals in Olajuwon’s sophomore year and looked poised for a championship era to come. However, Sampson’s knee injuries limited Houston’s success and he was traded in 1987-88. Despite Olajuwon’s health and All-NBA play, Houston was only able to win one playoff series between his trips to the NBA Finals.
After the team hired Rudy Tomjanovich as coach in 1992, Olajuwon initially demanded a change. But after the team couldn’t move him, the two were able to lead the Rockets to two championships. In addition, Olajuwon emerged as the best center of the decade, dominating O’Neal, David Robinson and Patrick Ewing.
Jokić, too, has found an ideal coach and squad to maximize his talents while vying for dominance with this generation’s best big men. A clash like Olajuwon would catapult Jokić into another stratosphere.
Tim Duncan
At the time of his first championship in 1998–99:
- Age: 22
- MVPs: Zero (completed with two)
- All-NBA Teams: Two (graduated at 15)
- Career two-season averages: 21.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.8 steals, 2.5 blocks, 52.7 percent from the field, 5.9 percent from 3
- #9 on The Athletic’s all-time top 75 list.
Duncan’s time in San Antonio was the ultimate example of consistency and set the modern standard for what sustainable greatness with a single organization looks like. He lived up to all the hype that came his way as the No. 1 pick in 1997 and was a staple of Spurs’ defense for two decades. He won five championships in periods dominated by teams like the Kobe-Shaq Lakers and the Big Three Heatles.
Like Duncan and Gregg Popovich, Jokić has spent his entire career coaching Mike Malone, in an organization that has made many solid strides rather than big wins. Duncan reached his elite peak much earlier in his career than Jokić, and it would take the Joker a supernatural second half of his career to even get close to Duncan. But the ingredients are definitely there.
(Photo: Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
Dirk Nowitzki
At the time of his first championship in 2010/11:
- Age: 32
- MVPs: One (completed with one)
- All-NBA Teams: 11 (completed with 12)
- Career 13-season averages: 23.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.0 blocks, 47.6 percent from the field, 38.1 percent from 3
- No. 21 on The Athletic’s all-time top 75 list.
Like Jokić, Nowitzki needed a never-ending playoff run to give Dallas its first championship in franchise history. The German 7-footer’s perimeter play paved the way for centers like Jokić to roam areas of the field off the field, but Dallas’ structure for Nowitzki could not reach the ultimate prize until the 2011 championship. Before the ring, Nowitzki had defeated Dallas in 10 playoff runs and won only 10 playoff series. His playoff resumes include leading 2-0 in the 2006 finals and losing in the first round to the 8th-seeded Golden State Warriors the following year.
After his title, Dallas tore his championship tally apart, and Nowitzki never won another playoff series. With Jokić receiving his first ring four years younger and a squad mostly under contract for the next few seasons, barring an injury, he looks set to find more playoff success in the future.
Other
- Bill Walton: Walton was as popular a comparison at Jokić as any other player in league history. Overcoming injuries early in his career, he led Portland to the 1977 title and won the 1978 MVP title before a series of foot surgeries cut short his prime.
- David Robinson: The Admiral was the 1994–95 MVP and won two scoring titles, but failed to move past the league title until the arrival of Duncan. A longtime Spur player, his success was hampered by a late start due to military service.
- Arvydas Sabonis: The Jokić before we had Jokić, Sabonis changed the way NBA fans perceived Center as one of the best Big Man passers of all time. The Lithuanian spent most of his career in Europe and made his NBA debut at 31.
- Dwight Howard: A stylistic opposite, Howard dominated the Magic interior and led Orlando to the 2009 Finals. He won the Defensive Player of the Year award three straight years ago and was just a ring away from being considered the greatest Magic player in history.
- Patrick Ewing: Ewing is arguably the greatest center not to win a ring. He led the Knicks to two playoffs and his name still ranks high in the franchise’s record books. By the 1994 finals, he was just one win away from becoming one of the most popular athletes in New York history.
- Willis Reed: As the first kink to give the city a basketball title, Reed’s shocking triumphant return in Game 7 in 1970 stamped his name on city history while overshadowing the rest of his career. He retired as a two-time Finals MVP, seven-time All-Star and 1969-70 MVP.
The list of other all-time great men Jokić has surpassed, from Charles Barkley to Bob McAdoo to Dave Cowens, helps illustrate just how fantastic the Nuggets star’s career has already been.
If he can still muster many healthy years before his Springfield bankruptcy, only time will tell how high Jokić climbs the all-time list. But few can deny the legendary resume he has already compiled.
James Jackson also contributed to this story.
(Top Photo: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)