“Ain’t Tryna Say He’s Smoking Hookah or Beer”: Chad Johnson Defends Witnessing Nikola Jokic Look Exhausted After 30-20-20 Game

Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco recently discussed Nikola Jokic’s dominant 30-20-20 triple double, with the latter nearly comparing his lethargic style of play to Luka Doncic’s. Ochocinco pointed out that the three-time MVP looked exhausted near the end of the performance but cut him some slack because of how efficient his game is.

The Cincinnati Bengals legend stressed that he wasn’t calling out the Joker for looking tired throughout Denver’s next contest, a blowout loss to Oklahoma City, it was just something he noticed.

“I’m not trying to say he’s out of shape or nothing. I ain’t tryna say he’s smoking hookah or beer or nothing like that,” Ochocinco added.

Sharpe was quick to jump to Jokic’s defense, pointing out how the 30-year-old ended up playing 41 minutes in what was a much closer matchup than the 127-103 final would indicate. The Nuggets trailed by just three points after the third quarter, but OKC quickly put the game away in the final 12 minutes.

Along with playing an absurd amount of time, Sharpe also stressed how much Jokic has to do for the Nuggets while he’s on the court. With inconsistent shooting and bench production from his teammates, Jokic is forced to assume even more of the scoring duties than he’s typically accustomed to.

With Jokic’s workload, any player would be exhausted after playing so much. However, even though the legendary tight end defended the Nuggets superstar, he doesn’t believe Jokic will be winning his fourth MVP.

Shannon Sharpe believes the MVP will be a first-time winner

Nikola Jokic was able to jump right back into what has turned into a two-man race for MVP. But Shannon Sharpe doesn’t believe his recent dominance is enough to overcome the current frontrunner, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

As the leader of the Western Conference-leading Thunder, SGA has been a top candidate for the award all season. The Canadian had a strong case for MVP in 2023-2024, finishing second behind the Serbian sensation, but he’s built an even stronger case for himself this season.

SGA is undoubtedly posting the best campaign of his career, so at this point, Sharpe believes the 26-year-old’s production would have to fall off a cliff for him to forfeit the award.

“It is [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s] MVP to lose,” Sharpe proclaimed. “As great as Jokic is playing, and he’s playing unbelievable, SGA is the MVP.”

Jokic continues to do it all for the third-place Nuggets, but OKC’s unmatched winning and voter fatigue could swing the award in Gilgeous-Alexander’s favor. As the unquestioned best guard and center in the NBA currently, either of the two superstars would be incredibly deserving.