Nikola Jokic shares his thoughts on retirement after winning MVP
May 9, 2024, 2:40 PM
DENVER—Nikola Jokic is only 29 years old and he recently signed a contract extension that could see him in Denver through 2027-28, and yet there is a legitimate question of how much longer will the Nuggets greatest player ever keep going?
Jokic has said he only wants to play for the Nuggets and the assumption by many is that the now three-time MVP could hang it up when this current contract ends which will take him to age 33. But the big man shared his thoughts on the matter after getting honored on Wednesday.
“Hopefully I’m going to be ready, I think the determination is going to be if I can perform at a high level or not,” Jokic said. “I’m not going to take a spot from a young guy or put the franchise down. As long as I can play at the highest level and help the team win, I’ll play until then.”
Jokic just finished his ninth regular season, capturing a third MVP—all of which have come in the past four seasons. For his career, he’s averaging 20.9 points, 10.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game, with those numbers dramatically increasing over the past four seasons.
Jokic is third in minutes played in Nuggets history at 21,078, behind Alex English and Dan Issel. He’s behind those two in points scored as well, at 14,139 points for his career. But Jokic is already the franchise leader in rebounds (7,249,) assists (4,667) and the career leader in advanced metrics like Win Shares and VORP.
Jokic is no doubt an all-timer in Denver, the only questions left for his career are based on him winning more titles and just how long he stays on the hardwood.
He can keep adding to his legacy this week by leading the Nuggets to a comeback over the Wolves. Only five teams in NBA history have erased a 2-0 series deficit, but Jokic is one of the few to come back from 3-1 and he did that twice.
