Kevin Durant spoke after the Phoenix Suns‘ 110-100 win over the Denver Nuggets on Christmas Day. The former MVP spoke highly of Nikola Jokic, calling him the best player in the NBA, and one of the top 10 players of all time. It is high praise coming from Durant, who many believe also has a place on that list.
“They got arguably the best player in the world, a top 10 player of all time in Jokic.”
Kevin Durant calls Nikola Jokic a “Top 10” player of all time. pic.twitter.com/KDlhCwUXmj
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) December 26, 2024
Durant and Jokic closed out what was an amazing Christmas Day slate in the NBA. Durant had a brilliant night, putting up 27 points (9-26 FG), six assists, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. As for Nikola Jokic, he put up yet another amazing stat line for the season, with 25 points (10-19 FG), 15 rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Jokic is considered by many to be the best player in the world right now. For the season, he is nearly averaging a triple-double with 30.9 points, 12.5 rebounds, 9.7 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game, while shooting 56.8% from the field, 51.4% from the three-point line, and 79.8% from the free-throw line.
Nikola Jokic certainly has the accolades to be considered one of the greatest players of all time.
In less than 10 years of playing in the NBA, Jokic has won an NBA championship, been named Finals MVP, won three regular-season MVPs, and earned six All-Star and All-NBA nominations. And the fact that he is still in his prime and continues winning means he will only improve his list of accolades in the years to come.
But unlike the past few years, Jokic’s basketball hasn’t been enough to push the Nuggets to contender status. Their team is significantly weaker compared to their 2023 roster that won the NBA championship. And their 16-12 record reflects that, as the Nuggets struggle to close out some very winnable games.
Kevin Durant Gives Other NBA Stars Their Flowers
During the same post-game interview, Kevin Durant also shouted out other NBA stars for helping create an amazing NBA Christmas Day slate of fixtures. He shouted out Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook by name, while also acknowledging the younger stars in the league for their part in what was one of the best days in recent NBA history.
“There’s so many great talents in this league. It’s not just us three, you see Jokic tonight. You see a [future] Hall of Famer, an icon in Russ [Russell Westbrook] out here tonight. You see so many young players around the league today. It was an amazing day for basketball. I’m grateful I was able to play today on this great day, entertain the fans, and get a win at home. I’m grateful.”
Fans online have been raving about the Christmas Day slate of fixtures, with many people arguing that it was one of the most entertaining Christmases in NBA history. Even LeBron James weighed in on the matter after the game, saying that Christmas Day belongs to the NBA, not the NFL, who also had big fixtures last night.
The NBA has been struggling with audience retention for the last few years. And while tonight was certainly not a turning point, it might just be the start of the league attracting larger audiences once again and winning over lapsed fans who stopped watching years ago.
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