Speaking in an interview with IndexHR, Sacramento Kings legend Vlade Divac gave massive praise to Nikola Jokic. According to Divac, the Serbian center stands alone as the greatest European NBA player of All-Time.
Sasa Cobanov: “Is Nikola Jokic already the best European basketball player of all time?”
Vlade Divac: “The results confirm it. And the essence of sports is results. Based on that, I think there’s no room for doubt.”
As a fellow European himself (born in Serbia) Dviac was once in the conversation for greatest international players and his Hall of Fame career set the stage for success for many big men who came after him. So when he says that Jokic is the greatest of all European players, it shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Since the NBA as we know it began in 1949, the league has seen many great European players, including Drazen Petrovic, Predrag Stojakovic, Tony Parker, and Dirk Nowitzki. Modern-day European stars include Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic.
For their status as champions, Dirk and Giannis were considered the two leading candidates for European basketball GOAT but Nikola Jokic has forced himself into the conversation after his first nine years.
Drafted 41st overall in 2014, the Nuggets weren’t sure what they had in Jokic after a relatively modest campaign overseas. Unlike most other star prospects, Jokic didn’t have the athleticism or shooting ability to set him apart and many critics predicted that his game would fail to properly translate to the NBA.
Instead, Jokic has steadily improved to become one of the game’s most dominant modern-day bigs. Already, Jokic’s resume includes 3 MVPs, an NBA championship run, and 6 All-Star selections over nine years. He’s got career averages of 20.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game on 55.7% shooting.
Jokic has taken the Nuggets where they’ve never been before and his very presence on the team will ensure their relevance in the league for years to come. Coming off, arguably, his best season yet (averages of 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game), the Joker is in a solid position to continue his run of dominance and try and help the Nuggets add another trophy to their record.
Of course, when it comes to the title of best European player ever, Luka Doncic has a strong chance to challenge Jokic within a few year’s time. If Doncic continues his trajectory, it might not be long before Dviac revises his opinion and crowns him as the greatest European in NBA history.
For now, that title belongs with Jokic and until someone or some team is able to slow him down, it’s hard to imagine that he won’t enhance his legacy with amazing performances season after season. What he’s done already is enough to convince most fans and players but at just 29 years old Jokic is still writing his story and there’s a lot still left to be told.
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