It's hard to believe that Nikola Djokic has already been in the NBA for 10 years. The 2024-25 season marks its 10th year in the league, with February 19th making her 30th birthday. Considered an icon of the NBA's European acquisition, Jokic has already solidified as a great European player in NBA history, but has one of the best 10-year runs in the association's history It is also easy to overlook.
Jokic's career was about redefineing them, not bending expectations. Proves that awareness and technique can thrive in sports that puts a premium on athletic ability. His middle father, Jokic, rose to his peers and made the Nuggets one of the best teams in the NBA of his career. That's something other Denver stars have struggled consistently in the past.
Jokic's brilliance has always been couched with “Best European” or “Best Big Man”, but in reality, his decade in the NBA made him the greatest player in the history of sports I'm one of them.
- Bill Russell (1956-1966): 5x MVP, 9x NBA Champion, 9x NBA All-Star
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-1979): 6x MVP, 2x NBA Champion, 9x NBA All-Star
- Larry Bird (1979-1989): 3x MVP, 3x NBA Champion, 9x NBA All-Star
- Michael Jordan (1984-1995): 3x MVP, 3x NBA Champion, 9x NBA All-Star
- LeBron James (2003-2013): 4x MVP, 2x NBA Champion, 9x NBA All-Star
- Nikola Jokic (2015-2025): 3x MVP, 1x NBA Champion, 7x NBA All-Star
These are the only six players in NBA history who have won MVPs at least three times and have been selected to five or more NBA All-Star Games in their first 10 seasons. Jokic's season is not over yet. He and Nugget feel like outsiders who won the NBA Championship this year, but the doors are still open.
Of these six players, Russell, Kareem, Bird and now Jokic have averaged over double doubles in his first 10 seasons. This shows that Jokic's individual awards not only justify merit, but his statistics are among greats.
It is a past time when qualifying is removed from Jokic's legacy. Simply thanking him as one of the greatest players ever. Even if his career is still underway. We gave LeBron this level of respect, and now it's Nicola's turn.
