Unstoppable. Dominant. Insightful… among the many words thrown around to describe Nikola Jokić there is one notable omission. All the more glaring since we are talking about one of the superstars of the game. ‘Athletic’ is not what people use while addressing the 6’11”, 284 lb center. He isn’t quite known for his ability to jump out of the gym. Tyrese Haliburton once revealed a funny incident that portrays Jokić’s weakness in this aspect.
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On an episode of Podcast P released last year, the Indiana Pacers’ All-Star guard recalled a conversation he had with Jokic during the 2023 All-Star Game’s warmup in Utah. Haliburton asked Jokić if the Serbian could dunk the ball for him at least once in the game.
Apparently, the Joker shrugged his shoulders and said he wouldn’t. Haliburton described the banter: “Jokic, bro Jokic hilarious. I said, ‘Yo brate, I need a dunk from you tonight’! He’s like, ‘Pssh, ooh I don’t think I got that one brate’!
“And remember Kyrie [Irving] threw him a lob? And he barely got off the ground?”
The lob mentioned here came off a fast break. Irving threw it off the backboard after he saw Jokic running in behind him. The Serbian tried his level best to get to the ball and slam it in. However, he had jumped too soon and missed the ball completely. The dunk was missed and Ja Morant took the rebound and started a counter.
This funny incident sort of undercut the NBA’s message about wanting the players to put some effort and play hard in the All-Star Games.
All-Star Games aren’t taken seriously enough
Haliburton described what the vibe around the All-Star game in Utah was like, including the jokes he and Anthony Edwards shared during warm-ups and timeouts. There were many instances which underlined that despite the league’s best efforts, the players didn’t really treat the All-Star game with a lot of seriousness.
“All-Star was hilarious. I know they wanted us to play harder, but that sh*t was so funny,” said Haliburton.
The All-Star Game has seen a steady decline in viewership, indicating that the fans are starting to care less about the event.
However, Adam Silver has promised changes this year that will make the ASG more competitive. We’ll have to wait and see what changes the NBA implements.
