Nikola Jokic, who stands at 6 feet 11 inches tall and plays the center position, distinguishes himself among NBA big men with his ability to score from both inside and outside the arc, as well as to smash the boards and find open teammates. For the second year in a row, the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award was given to Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. He won 65 of 100 votes for first place. During the last campaign, Jokic was the first choice of 91 out of 101 voters, including news media members and fans. Jokic is a center for the Nuggets, but he also has a guard's passing touch and shooting stroke.
Today's video will be about Every Time Nikola Jokic Proved His Haters WRONG.
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Nikola Jokic has become a household name among NBA fans in a brief period. While looking across all of the sports, this is one of the most improbable stories you'll ever hear because Jokic was overweight when he was growing up. Despite winning back-to-back Most Valuable Player awards, the media is critical of "the Joker", and some analysts dismiss him. With that being said, we will expose some people who did not believe in Nikola Jokic and how he proved them wrong.
1) Stephen A. Smith
Smith is a well-known television figure in the world of sports, a host on sports radio, and a sports journalist. In an interview with J.J Redick, Stephen A. Smith compared Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokic because he never believed in Jokic. He said:
“Okay, so we're only going to talk about your skill in playing basketball while you're in good shape. I would rather have Anthony Davis than Luka, and I would rather have Anthony Davis than Nikola Jokic.”
Stephen A. Smith thinks Anthony Davis is a better player than Nikola Jokic. It is, of course, arguably false depending on who you ask, considering that Anthony Davis has been unable to stay healthy over the past two seasons, appearing in a total of 76 games while averaging just 22 points.
2) Kendrick Perkins
Now that we've moved on from Stephen A. Smith, let's hear Kendrick Perkins's big-brain take on Nikola Jokic in an ESPN interview back when the Nuggets weren’t at their best.
"I've heard the stats, but they're down in the eighth or ninth spot because, as far as I'm concerned, winning is what counts, and, after all, that's why I awarded it to Steve Nash way back then."
3) Nick Wright
Next up, we have the biggest Jokic hater in the world, Nick Wright. Wright is well-known as a sports commentator on radio and television. Wright, along with Kevin Wildes and Chris Broussard, presently hosts the show "First Things First" on Fox Sports 1. He said:
"This is now one less thing that I need to worry about or care about. You know I took my time to do research and study about league MVP for 70 years of NBA history and now it's just a thing."
Nick Wright is acting so hyperbolic because once again, Nikola Jokic hit a fantastic and phenomenal season individually. When looking at past MVPs from different decades, there have been some disappointments. However, we got over it, and still value the award.
While the NBA playoffs have no bearing on the regular season MVP winner, Nick Wright continues to be dishonest by claiming otherwise. It's noteworthy that in each of the past two years, the team Jokic lost to in the western conference finals, also won the conference finals.
4) Joy Taylor
Joy Taylor is a Fox Sports 1 host and media figure. Currently, she works alongside LeSean McCoy and Emmanuel Acho as a co-host on the show Speak. Previously, Taylor hosted The Joy Taylor Show on Fox Sports Radio on Saturdays and provided news updates on Fox Sports 1's The Herd with Colin Cowherd.
Well, Taylor wasn't in support of Jokic winning the MVP. Here's what she said :
"I've always picked Joel Embiid to win the award. So, yeah, I struggle to feel super pumped about this MVP. Winning a league MVP is still a fantastic achievement and accomplishment, and winning back-to-back MVPs is next level, but it's like I can't unsee what I saw with you guys in Embiid, and I can't unsee what I saw with Giannis."
Even though Nikola Jokic hasn't had the same kind of career in power as some of the all-time greats, he has far surpassed players like Joel Embiid in recent years. Jokic is the only player in the NBA's top five in points, rebounds, and assists over that span.
5) Marc Spears
In an interview with ESPN, Marc Spears was asked his opinion on Joel Embiid versus Jokic, and he said:
And what do you guys think? Did Nikola Jokic prove his haters wrong? Is he a better player than Embiid and Doncic? I would love to hear your opinion, so please let me know what you think in the comments. Thanks for watching, and don't forget to like and subscribe to our channel for more amazing NBA content!
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