As the final buzzer sounded Monday, as blue-and-gold confetti rained down from the rafters and 19,537 title-starved fans roared, Nikola Jokić walked dutifully toward the Heat sideline. There were handshakes for Bam Adebayo, for Jimmy Butler, for Kevin Love. There were hugs for Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin and Cody Zeller.
When he finished, Jokić stood near the scorer’s table, expressionless. He softly clapped his hands together, celebrating—if that’s what you want to call it—as only Jokić can.
He then spotted his brother Nemanja, one of the few who truly understood his journey to this moment. A decade earlier, Nikola Jokić was in Serbia, a frumpy teenager who was barely registering on NBA scouts’ radars. A second-round pick—when Jokić was drafted, ESPN was airing a Taco Bell commercial—who molded his body to meet the challenges of NBA basketball and polished his game to a level where he could dominate it. Now, after five All-Star appearances, two league MVP awards and NBA Finals MVP honors, Jokić has not only established himself as one of the best players of this generation, but he has also earned a spot among the all-time greats.
