Hardaway says Jokic is dominating without needing the spotlight: "Jokic is like, 'I don't want that. I'm just gonna do the job for the team that pays me"
The NBA is unknowingly riding through the Nikola Jokic era. The Serbian big man, with his unique mix of dominance and humility, has become the face of a quiet revolution in basketball — a slow, deliberate rewrite of how greatness is perceived.
While most MVP-caliber players bask in the spotlight, "Joker" has quietly stacked accolades and redefined what it means to lead a team. He's just one of the best centers of this generation, and he's already brushing shoulders with the all-time greats.
Humble Jokic
While the seven-time All-Star is undeniably a dominant player, he consistently expresses a focus on winning the game and working together, even when discussing individual accolades like the Most Valuable Player award. He doesn't want the spotlight.
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"Jokic is like, 'I don't want that. I'm just gonna do the job for the team that pays me, and I'm going to kick your a** every night," former NBA star Penny Hardaway said. "That's basically what he thinks. So, I think a lot of that is if you embrace it, it'll come back."
This is a player who has won three MVP awards in four years. Only three legends — Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird — have ever pulled off three in a row. The Nuggets star came painfully close to joining that club in 2023, finishing behind Joel Embiid in what was arguably the most debated MVP race in recent memory.
Still, "Joker" has etched his name alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and LeBron James — all of whom claimed the award thrice in four years. But despite those numbers and that level of sustained excellence, Jokic's name doesn't always ring with the same commercial resonance as James or Stephen Curry.
Hardaway, a former All-NBA guard and now a veteran college coach, understands what it means to command attention on the court. However, in Jokic's case, the consistent dominance seems almost accidental.
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The Denver Nuggets' rise has mirrored his own path, steady, intentional, and without theatrics. From 2019, when he carried the "Mile High" team to a 54-win season and a playoff run, to the historic championship in 2023, the franchise's first ever.
The Nuggets' system is built around a man who prioritizes team cohesion over personal glory. In the postseason, Serbian becomes even more valuable. During the 2023 title run, he averaged 30.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 9.5 assists across the playoffs. That level of production over multiple series is typically the domain of only the greatest players the league has ever seen.
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No spotlight
Despite all his accolades, Jokic rarely surfaces as the league's biggest storyline. His interviews are dry. His celebrations are subdued. And his humility seems almost countercultural in today's NBA.
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That's what makes his rise so intriguing — because it's happening without the typical trappings of superstardom. The fans in Denver know. His peers know. Jokic just isn't built to feed the media machine.
In fact, his entrance into the NBA barely made a ripple. When the Nuggets selected Jokic with the 41st overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, it happened during a Taco Bell commercial. No stage. No handshake. No camera pan to a family celebration. Just a ticker update beneath an advertisement for nachos. That might as well have been foreshadowing.
"Joker" didn't arrive with high school mixtapes or viral dunks. There was no narrative pre-packaged for him. He had to build everything from scratch — his body, his game, his image. And along the way, he chose to keep everything real.
"Jokic is like, I'm just doing me. They don't even talk about me. I don't care if you do or not," Hardaway said. "Steph wants that, LeBron wants that, all these other guys want that… But Jokic doesn't."
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And that may be the quiet beauty of his journey. In an era where branding often outpaces basketball, Jokic has carved out a place by doing the exact opposite. He doesn't curate his legacy in real time. He lets the wins speak. He lets the numbers speak. He lets the rings, the banners, and the respect of his peers do the talking.
In a league obsessed with image, he's rewriting the rules of what greatness can look like — slowly, methodically, and without ever needing the spotlight to validate him.
Related: Brian Windhorst shares why Jokic should have a serious conversation with the Nuggets: "They are two players short"
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