NUGGETS

Magic Johnson puts Jokic in same breath as Jordan, Kobe and other legends

May 24, 2023, 10:59 AM

Magic Johnson...

(Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

(Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

Nikola Jokic is on an all-time postseason run for the Denver Nuggets.

By capturing his eighth triple-double of the playoffs in Game 4 against the Lakers, Jokic set the record for the most in a single postseason, passing some guy named Wilt Chamberlain. You may have heard of him.

And Jokic’s numbers in the playoffs are just silly. In 15 games, he’s averaging 29.9 points, 13.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists. Against the Lakers in the Western Conference finals, two of those stats were even better.

In the four-game sweep, Jokic went for 27.8 points, 14.5 rebounds and 11.8 assists. He had a triple-double in three of the four victories.

His performance is turning a lot of heads, and rightfully so, but the biggest praise yet may have come from an all-time NBA legend. Magic Johnson put Jokic in the same breath as some of the top basketball players in history.

Wow! Johnson’s Twitter is known for his straight-to-the-point tweets, and he’s not messing around here.

To say Jokic is “changing the game” like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal is wild. Those are literally the best to ever do it, while a few other guys belong on the list, including Magic himself.

But it feels like it’s not hyperbole to throw Jokic in those conversations. He won back-to-back MVPs, and clearly should’ve won three straight if the playoffs are any indication. He’s also four wins away from his first championship, the ultimate measure of success in the NBA.

We already know he’s one of the best big men of all-time, but could Jokic be trending toward being one of the best players of all-time? If you read that tweet from Magic Johnson, it looks like he’s headed that direction.

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Magic Johnson puts Jokic in same breath as Jordan, Kobe and other legends