Former Celtic Claims Nikola Jokic Had a ‘Michael Jordan-Type’ 4-Year Run

Nikola Jokic has been on a generational run in the last four years. He has made an All-Star appearance every year and has won three league MVP titles in 2021, 2022, and 2024. The year he didn’t win the MVP title, he became an NBA Champion and the MVP of the Finals. There haven’t been many people who have had a run quite like this in the league’s history.

Former Celtics player Brian Scalabrine compared Jokic’s four-year run to the kind of stretches Michael Jordan used to record in his prime. He stated that Jokic’s four-year stretch is comparable to Shaquille O’Neal’s three-peat run in the early 2000s as well.

Scalabrine said, “I’ll triple down on he’s [Jokic is] the best player in the league, and I’ll also triple down on this, I think that this [2021-2024] is the greatest…,if not a top five, four seasons we will ever see. Last four seasons, three MVPs, and an NBA Championship.”

“Have we ever seen a stretch like this? This is like Michael Jordan type of level of a stretch. Shaquille O’Neal, when they won those three championships together…So, Denver always has a chance because of that guy right there.”

Contradicting the popular belief that Jokic doesn’t work on his game during the offseason, Scal pointed to the Joker’s development to discard that notion.

It’s undeniable that so far this decade has been Jokic’s. Winning three league MVP titles in a span of four years is no small feat. He could’ve had a hattrick of MVP titles if Joel Embiid hadn’t had that phenomenal 2022-23 season. However, Scalabrine’s comparison reveals one crucial deficit in these four-year runs.

Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal’s legendary runs involved them winning multiple Championships alongside MVPs and FMVPs. However, Jokic managed only one chip in this span. Therefore, the comparison seems a bit too dramatic.

However, we must take into account that the Serbian won the 2023 Championship without any bona fide All-Star caliber players on his team besides him.

While winning MVP would be a dream come true for most athletes, Jokic would exchange them for NBA titles in a heartbeat. The Serbian values the ring over everything.

Jokic prefers winning NBA Championships over MVP titles

The MVP title suggests that the winner is the best player in the league. However, Jokic believes in playing the game like a team sport and prefers winning rings with his team over individual accomplishments.

After winning the MVP last season, he said, “To be honest, I liked last year when I didn’t win it and we won a championship much better.”

For Joker, the team’s success is paramount. Even though winning another MVP won’t hurt him at all, he would like to add another NBA trophy to his cabinet this season.