With three MVPs to his name and possibly a fourth this season, as well as an NBA title, it's impossible to argue that Nikola Jokic is not an all-time great. The NBA GOAT debate has taken its fair share of twists and turns, and everyone has their own list, although just being considered for the top ten is an accomplishment in and of itself.
The only players with more MVPs than Jokic are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Wilt Chamberlain. None of them have been as offensively dominant as Jokic has during his prime.
At only 30 years old, it's very likely that Jokic will continue to add to his accolades and could even win more MVPs past this season if he is robbed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
"He will go down as a top-ten player to ever play this game," argued Theo Pinson on the *To The Baha*podcast. "He's going down as a top-ten player to ever play this game. This was the argument: Is he better than Hakeem? Who are you taking?"
Pinson is not the only former player who is recognizing his greatness, with Kendrick Perkins saying he is "knocking on the door."
Jokic is definitely knocking at the door of being a Top 5 Center of All-Time!!!
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) March 8, 2025
Here's where NBA blasphemy can start: the greatest centers of all time are Russell, Abdul-Jabbar, Chamberlain, Shaquille O'Neal, and Hakeem Olajuwon. Fans can put them in any order, but that's a pretty definitive list. However, with three MVPs, Jokic could already be ahead of both Shaq and Hakeem despite not being as physically dominant.
Related: Nuggets Solver Overlooked Problem in Offseason Mock Trade
Granted, all of those players have multiple championships, and Jokic only has one, but if he and the Denver Nuggets win a ring this season, in my mind, he's already in elite territory with only Kareem and Russell ahead of him.
Check out the Inside the Nuggets homepage for more news, analysis, and must-read articles.
Related: Nikola Jokic, Rudy Gobert Headline Hefty Injury Report Before Timberwolves-Nuggets
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 3:38 PM.