Former NBA head coach Stan Van Gundy has never hidden his appreciation for Nikola Jokic’s game. Since joining the voting panel for the 2022-2023 NBA regular season awards, he has cast his first-place MVP vote for him for three straight years.
Before he was selected to vote, he had been caught on live broadcasts outright campaigning for the Denver Nuggets superstar to be MVP, to the point that fans are blasting him for supposedly clear bias.
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As the 2025-2026 season nears, it seems that Van Gundy’s opinion of Jokic hasn’t changed at all. He stressed, though, that reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserved the award last season.
“I’m not trying to disparage Shai Gilgeous-Alexander,” Van Gundy said on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “He was a very worthy MVP a year ago.”
However, he believes that the big man will lead the reinforced Nuggets back to title-contending status in the Western Conference again. And for Stan, that attribute alone makes the Joker the best player in the league.
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“Well, he’s certainly the best in the game right now,” he said. “He makes the people around him so much better…What can the guy not do?”
Van Gundy thinks Jokic is a perfect franchise player
Denver selected Jokic as the 41st overall pick in the 2014 draft during a Taco Bell commercial. However, Van Gundy claimed that if Jokic were drafted today, front offices would do things differently and make him the top pick.
“But the way I look at it is this: If you threw every NBA player into the draft right now,” he said. “…all 30 NBA franchises would make Jokic the first pick. He’s that good.”
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Recently, the NBA released its annual General Managers survey. The results predicted a 67 percent chance of Jokic being hailed MVP this season. GMs also picked him as the best center and the best international player.
However, despite the overwhelming love for the three-time MVP, 83 percent of the GMs want to build around San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama if they were to start a new franchise, rather than Jokic, who was selected for this category in the 2023-2024 season.
Nevertheless, this does not diminish Jokic’s role with the Nuggets. Last season, they had a 46-24 record when he played, according to Statmuse. And that barely scratches the surface of his importance to the team; he is and will be their franchise player for the foreseeable future.
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Jokic is the best teammate
In the 2024-2025 season, Jokic became the third player to average a triple-double after posting 29.6 points, 10.2 assists, and 12.7 rebounds per game.
But beyond the numbers, Van Gundy respects Jokic for being a great teammate and leader for Denver.
“He’s a great competitor and team guy…Just watch his postgame interviews. He takes all the responsibilities if things don’t go well. He gives credit to everybody else when things do go well,” he said. “Who wouldn’t want to play with Nikola Jokic?”
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Of all the Nuggets, Aaron Gordon benefited the most from Jokic’s talent, as he elevated his play because of the center’s ability to create offensive opportunities for him and the rest of the team. For him, this is a hallmark of all-time greatness.
Having spent 11 years coaching in the NBA, Van Gundy knows greatness when he sees it, and he sees it in Jokic every single year. And this season, nothing’s different – he expects Jokic to rule the league and teams will try their best to stop him.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 12, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.