Nikola Jokic and Nuggets WON’T REPEAT as NBA champions, claims LeBron James’ former teammate

Kendrick Perkins doubts Denver Nuggets’ chances of winning another championship anytime soon. .

Nikola Jokic and Nuggets WON’T REPEAT as NBA champions, claims LeBron James’ former teammate

L- Kendrick Perkins (Via ESPN) and R- Nikola Jokic (Via Getty)

The Denver Nuggets celebrated their first NBA title on Monday night, led by Nikola Jokic, who earned his first Finals MVP award after averaging 30.2 points, 14 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game against the Miami Heat. Jokic, who was denied the MVP trophy this season after winning two straight, proved his critics wrong with his dominant performance in the five-game series.

However, not everyone is impressed by the Nuggets’ achievement. Kendrick Perkins, a former teammate of LeBron James and an ESPN analyst, said that it will be very hard for Jokic and his teammates to win another title in the next 15 to 20 years.

Perkins, who won a ring with the Boston Celtics in 2008, said that the NBA is too competitive and unpredictable for any team to dominate for a long time. He pointed out that in the last five seasons, there have been five different champions: the Toronto Raptors, the LA Lakers, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Golden State Warriors and now the Nuggets.

“When we look at the last five seasons, we’ve had five different NBA champions… You have every front office and GMs in their offices trying to see how can they get better for next season. Teams are gonna grow, teams are gonna improve their roster, they’re gonna improve their coaching staff.” 

He went on to add, “So it’s gonna be hard. Not only for them to have a dynasty, but to have a repeat. I expect this; I don’t think we’ll see another repeat for the next 15 to 20 years.”

Also Read: Nikola Jokic top 20 NBA player ALL-TIME, claims NBA analyst

Nikola Jokic’s remarkable journey from being an obese teenager to winning Finals MVP

Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets
Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets (Via Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports)

Perkins may have a point about the difficulty of repeating as champions, but he also recognized that Nikola Jokic is a special player who has overcome many challenges to reach this level of greatness. Jokic, who grew up in Serbia as an overweight teenager who loved drinking Coke and eating junk food, transformed his body and his game to become one of the best players in the world.

Jokic was drafted by the Nuggets in 2014 with the 41st pick, a second-round selection that many teams overlooked. He made his NBA debut in 2015 and quickly established himself as a versatile and skilled big man who could pass, shoot and rebound at a high level. He became an All-Star for the first time in 2019.

Jokic has proven his doubters wrong time and time again with his remarkable performance and his humble attitude. He joked after winning the Finals MVP award that he had a message for those who underestimated him: “Don’t bet against the fat boy.”

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