“Shaq would have destroyed Jokic” – Crowned NBA champion Nikola Jokic STRIPPED OFF league’s legendary centers
NBA fans did not agree with Nikola Jokic being stated in the same breath as players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaq
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Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic had a statistically dominant season as the Denver Nuggets won their first ever NBA championship against the Miami Heat. Conversations around the NBA are considering where Jokic stands amongst the greatest centers of all time and NBA fans are not ready for it yet. Nikola Jokic was compared to legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal which fans on Twitter had an issue with.
Jay Williams appeared on Get Up ESPN after the Nuggets won the championship and said – “I’m not saying Jokic is better than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar right now, but when his entire body of work is done he’s going to be up there with some of the best to ever do it.” Jokic did break a record that only Kareem and Wilt Chamberlain held for the longest time by dropping three separate 30-point 20-rebound triple-doubles in his playoff career while Wilt and Kareem have just one each.
JJ Redick chimed in on the topic, saying – “I wouldn’t go so far to say Jokic is the best big of all time, but he’s certainly an all-time great player. He’s easily in the top 25 or top 30 right now.” Nikola Jokic is still just 28 years of age with a stacked resume and a core of teammates younger than him which would only give him opportunities to cement his place on an all-time centers list.
NBA Twitter lashed out at the media for hyping Nikola Jokic after one championship
Nikola Jokic was praised in heaps for his historic post-season run, breaking all sorts of records along the way, but NBA fans were having none of it. “He played the 2nd worst playoff team in the West and the worst playoff team in the East in the WCF and Finals. Chill,” said one fan on Twitter attempting to downplay the competition Jokic went up against in the playoffs.
Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most dominant centers of all time, and fans don’t feel Jokic would fare well against him; one reply said – “Shaq would have destroyed Jokic!” Shaq won three consecutive NBA Finals and MVPs for the Lakers, averaging 36 points and 15 rebounds over three Finals series between 2000 and 2002. Shaquille O’Neal was undoubtedly a bigger and stronger matchup for Nikola Jokic, but in terms of passing, Jokic is a more complete offensive weapon than Big Diesel.
The comparisons to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ruffled some fans’ feathers, one in particular who said, “Yeah wake me up when he has 6 MVP’s 6 titles and 30,000 points.” LeBron James, aged 38, broke the scoring record this season, surpassing Kareem as the leader in all-time points scored, who held the position for 38 years. Jokic is not one to look at statistics but ended up leading in points, rebounds, and assists this post-season. Jokic has achieved feats that Kareem did not, and vice versa, comparisons will exist forever, and Jokic still has a long way to go to build on an already stacked resume.
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Anuj Shrikanth Iyer
(290 Articles Published)