The conversation around Nikola Jokic’s dominance reached another level this week after LeBron James delivered some of his highest praise yet. Speaking on the Mind the Game podcast with Steve Nash, James broke down why the Nuggets superstar has become one of the most unstoppable forces he has ever faced.
“I was just talking to my good friend Jared Dudley and I was just like, ‘This guy is ridiculous,’” LeBron said. “He was like, ‘Yeah, he is ridiculous.’ He’s been in Dallas the last few years and been around some great players, but this Joker guy, man… what the? In his last four or six games, is he not shooting like 77 percent from the field? And this is not like dunks and layups. This is everything. All three levels.”
As James continued, he expanded on what makes Jokic so uniquely dominant, highlighting the completeness of his offensive arsenal and the pressure he puts on defenses every night.
“There has not been a more dominant, complete player that I have played against,” LeBron continued. “In the sense of all the attributes that you just mentioned, from the passing to the shooting, to the rebounding, to the attention… There is nothing he cannot do on the offensive end.”
As a four-time champion, four-time MVP, and the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron knows greatness when he sees it. From Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan to Stephen Curry, James has seen dominance come in many shapes and sizes. Somehow, Jokic is surpassing them all as he sets a brand new standard.
Coming into this season, the Joker was already a three-time MVP with career averages of 21.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game on 56.1 percent shooting (36.2 percent from three). Despite his size as a seven-foot big man, he is uniquely skilled at running an offense, but he can do so much more.
For the Nuggets, he has operated as the center of everything offensively, leading to wild advanced stats that further support his MVP case.
This season, he is having one of his best stretches yet with averages of 29.6 points, 12.8 rebounds, 11.1 assists, and 0.8 blocks per game on 62.6 percent shooting. He has led Denver to a 13-4 record so far, good enough for third in the West and four games back from the first-seeded Thunder.
On all fronts, Jokic is having a historic season in Denver, and it’s clearly enough to impress LeBron James. The two have clashed several times in the playoffs already, and they could be slated for another postseason battle this spring.
No matter the results of that series, the mutual respect will always be there for James and Jokic. As two iconic superstars and future Hall of Famers, their legacy is the stuff of legends, and they are still actively writing their NBA story.
Jokic’s rise has already reshaped the league, and with the way he is playing right now, it feels like we are watching history unfold in real time. LeBron’s respect only reinforces how rare this level of dominance truly is. If Denver keeps winning at this pace, we may be headed toward another playoff showdown that could add an unforgettable chapter to the rivalry between two all-time greats.
