Nikola Jokic has been contending for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award since 2019, winning the award three times and finishing in the top 10 in every single season. This year is no different, as the Joker has raised his level of play another notch, averaging 29.6 points on a hyper-efficient 62.6 percent shooting, 12.8 rebounds and a league-leading 11.1 assists per game.
While it’s too early to discuss who the rightful MVP is this season, former NBA head coach Stan Van Gundy is already convinced that Jokic is it. Not only that, but he also believes that the Serbian superstar is the “best player in the history of the NBA.”
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Such a bold statement
Before anyone reacts strongly to SVG’s bold statement, especially when saying that essentially means saying that Jokic is better than the undisputed GOAT, Michael Jordan, the former coach explained his stance.
“He might be the best player in the history of the NBA,” Van Gundy began. “Here’s the thing — like my son says this all the time about every sport. He’s more of a baseball guy, right? He says, ‘Look, I understand the thought that you compare players to how well they did in the era they played in, but the evolution of athletes is — we can probably say that the best 20 basketball players in history have probably played in the last 20 years.'”
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The heart of SVG’s argument is rooted in the game’s evolution. He basically claims that, as terrific as the players of yesteryear were, they have no shot at playing in the NBA today simply because their skills would not translate.
“I mean, you really think we’re dropping Bob Cousy in today’s NBA, and he’s dribbling with his right hand?” SVG surmised. “That’s no knock on Bob Cousy. What happened is Bob Cousy was a very creative guy, and someone else learned from him and developed their game better, and then from them…”
“But you can’t take those guys back then and drop them in today’s game. Look — nobody’s had a better career than LeBron in the league. And Jokic is on another planet. If I had to take one guy in history right now — not just today — I’m taking Jokic,” he asserted.
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Jokic is improving
Jokic is already 30, a time when NBA players have actually generally reached their peak. Difficult as it may be to believe, but from the looks of it, the versatile center is getting better with each passing year.
“Last year was the best year of Jokic’s career. Better than the MVP years. And now he’s having a year better than that,”Van Gundy pointed out. “The guy keeps getting better. And the thing with Jokic, to me, that is phenomenal, is he puts up these outrageous numbers, and I don’t think he has the slightest interest in statistics at all. I don’t think he has any interest in that in the least.”
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As his former teammate, De’Andre Jordan, recently shared, Jokic may not look like he’s interested in being out there underneath the bright lights, but he is passionate about winning games and NBA titles. No, he doesn’t care about all the pomp and pageantry that typically consumes the NBA’s biggest stars, but when it comes to leading the Nuggets to victory, he’s all in.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Nov 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.