The two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who may potentially win a third one soon, is continuing to cause headaches to his opposition. Since stepping into the NBA nearly a decade ago, the 29-year-old has created a niche for himself with just how skilled he is at his position. This has led to several basketball followers hailing the Serbian as the greatest center of all time. Contrary to their beliefs, however, John Salley, a 4x NBA champion, refused to acknowledge ‘The Joker’ as the GOAT in his position before revealing his viewpoint.
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Salley opened up about his perspective during his latest appearance on Run It Back. The 59-year-old initially highlighted the importance of longevity in the GOAT debates, a condition Jokic has yet to meet. However, despite his dismissal of Jokic being the GOAT center already, the legend hinted that the Denver Nuggets superstar was already on the path to achieving this emphatic goal in the near future.
“He gotta finish his career. He gotta have 15 years in the league to figure out where he is gonna be…Like I said, the way he plays is entirely different. They let him do a lot of things and you are not allowed to hit him. So, if you’re not allowed to use your body on a guy who is all body, he is gonna be able to do whatever he wants,” he mentioned.
Considering the turnover of players within the league each year, Salley’s standpoint does seem valid. As per a 2024 report from Gintux, the average length of an NBA career is no longer than 4.5 years. Unsurprisingly, only 5% of players in the league’s history have played for more than 14 seasons. Consequently, the tenure of a player’s career becomes a key parameter for judgment.
On top of this, Jokic must eventually surpass a handful of legendary names to achieve the title of GOAT center. Taking those icons’ contributions into account, it could be a while before the Serbian can really announce himself in this conversation.
Which legends does Nikola Jokic need to surpass?
The list of best-ever centers in NBA history consists of a few big names, both literally and figuratively. The iconic rivals of the 1950s and 1960s, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, are unsurprisingly the first two names to come to mind. Alongside them, the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaquille O’Neal have also found their places near the very tippy top of this list over the years.
Compared to these legends, Jokic has a lot more to achieve in the NBA. For instance, in terms of championships, Russell tops the charts with 11 rings. In terms of individual achievements, Abdul-Jabbar leads the race with 38,387 points, 6 MVPs, and two Finals MVPs [per Basketball Reference]. And if it’s on-court dominance one holds over all else in this debate, the names of Chamberlain and Shaq stand at the top without much contest at all.
So, given the competition in this list, it’s easy to see why any new names coming in have to go through all kinds of screening before they can included here. However, with his track record of surpassing expectations, it would be beyond ill-advised to bet against Nikola Jokic getting his name on there.
In fact, who knows? Perhaps he will even be hailed as the greatest big man ever unanimously before very long at all.
