{"id":140941,"date":"2025-05-25T07:00:31","date_gmt":"2025-05-25T11:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=140941"},"modified":"2025-05-25T06:10:52","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T10:10:52","slug":"jokic-fans-dont-become-what-you-once-hated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/25\/jokic-fans-dont-become-what-you-once-hated\/","title":{"rendered":"Jokic Fans, Don\u2019t Become What You Once Hated"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"108\" data-end=\"348\">The MVP debate again has become one of the most fiercely argued topics in basketball, continuing a trend that began the moment <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jokicni01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nikola Jokic<\/a> became a perennial MVP candidate. Unfortunately, that passion has often crossed the line into toxicity.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"350\" data-end=\"704\">Before 2023, several high-profile figures in the national media routinely disrespected Joki\u0107. The discourse hit its most uncomfortable point when Kendrick Perkins of ESPN accused the Serbian star of benefiting from white privilege, which allowed him to win his MVPs. It was a claim lacking any real substance and was clearly a maliciously intended distortion of facts to hurt his chances at winning his third consecutive MVP. That\u2019s why it was all the more satisfying to see the former NBA big man be exposed, just months later, when Joki\u0107 silenced his haters by leading the Nuggets to their first championship in franchise history.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The NBA Media always LOVED Jokic\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sfompby7UKQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Since that title run, the tone around Jokic has largely shifted. The loudest critics have changed their tune. He\u2019s no longer \u201cthe worst MVP ever\u201d, \u00a0but rather a generational great. Funny how things change after one championship playoff run when you finally have a healthy and competitive team. And yet, here we are again\u2014only this time, the dynamic has slightly changed.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141621\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141621\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-141621\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26227221_168414264_lowres-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26227221_168414264_lowres-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26227221_168414264_lowres-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26227221_168414264_lowres-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26227221_168414264_lowres-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26227221_168414264_lowres-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26227221_168414264_lowres-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26227221_168414264_lowres-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141621\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">May 18, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) dribbles down the court against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second quarter during game seven of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Now, it\u2019s <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gilgesh01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a> whose <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/21\/shai-gilgeous-alexander-named-the-mvp\/\" target=\"_self\">MVP campaign<\/a> is being undermined. Sadly, much of the criticism is coming from people who claim to be Jokic fans. If you truly followed Joker through the years of undeserved hate, how could you now turn around and do the same to another player?<\/p>\n<h2>Jokic Fans, Don\u2019t Become What You Once Hated<\/h2>\n<p>The truth is, many of these people aren&#8217;t real fans. They\u2019re opportunists\u2014bandwagoners and grifters latching onto the latest popular narrative where they know that the pushback will be minimal. And now they\u2019re utilizing the same lazy arguments once used against Jokic to discredit SGA.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, this doesn\u2019t mean that fans should shy away from healthy basketball debates. The <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/e\/embiijo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joel Embiid<\/a> vs. Joki\u0107 MVP races, for example, could have sparked plenty of thoughtful and compelling discussions. But just like back then, what could have been a celebration of two incredible individuals battling for the regular season&#8217;s highest honor has instead spiraled into tribalism. Only this time, it\u2019s Joki\u0107 supporters who believe they hold the moral high ground, discrediting SGA until he wins a championship. Ironically, that argument would only last a couple more weeks, assuming the Thunder go on to win it all this year.<\/p>\n<h3>Both are More Similar Than Many Think<\/h3>\n<p>In many ways, SGA mirrors Jokic. He\u2019s not flashy or explosively athletic, yet he still can dominate offensively with incredible efficiency without relying on viral highlights. It\u2019s fair to question his reliance on free throws or get frustrated with the occasional <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/23\/sga-free-throw-attempts\/\" target=\"_self\">soft call<\/a> that goes his way. But let\u2019s be clear: this isn\u2019t even close to what we saw with prime <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hardeja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James Harden<\/a> and the Moreyball-era Rockets. That team, aided by a horrific ruleset at the time, sucked the joy out of the game of basketball with constant foul-baiting and an endless stream of free throws off cheap fouls. SGA\u2019s game is not even close to being in that dimension.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"156\" data-end=\"676\">Let\u2019s move beyond surface-level debates and start having more meaningful conversations about basketball. This year\u2019s playoff series offered a fascinating look into each MVP\u2019s game, as both Jokic and SGA had to adapt to elite defensive schemes designed specifically to neutralize their greatest strengths. It also challenged some common narratives, including the supposedly massive gap between them on the defensive end.<\/p>\n<h3>Completely Contrasting Regular Seasons<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"182\" data-end=\"818\">At the end of the day, when it comes to the MVP race between Jokic and SGA this season, it ultimately boils down to this: The Nuggets had an underwhelming regular season in which they fell short of expectations, leading to the firings of both head coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth. Their biggest issue wasn\u2019t just a lack of personnel\u2014it was mainly poor defensive effort, especially from their superstar. And we know this because this same roster, especially Jokic, proved in the playoffs that they could lock in and play elite, championship-level defense when it mattered. Their series against the Thunder, which came down to the wire, showed that Denver wasn\u2019t 18 games worse than OKC in terms of quality.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"820\" data-end=\"1163\">But by coasting through stretches of the regular season, the Nuggets gave up home-court advantage without much resistance. And this came back to haunt them. They drew a brutally tough first-round matchup against the Clippers, in addition to them having to play a Game 7 in Oklahoma, all of which ultimately contributed to this second-round loss.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1165\" data-end=\"1468\">Meanwhile, SGA led a very young Thunder team comfortably to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, setting the tone with his exemplary defensive effort and leadership. The result was a team that barely had any off nights and blew out most teams. Denver, in a glaring contrast, couldn\u2019t even beat the Washington Wizards this year.<\/p>\n<h3>A Message to the REAL Jokic Fans<\/h3>\n<p>So, to the real Nuggets and Jokic fans: Please don\u2019t become what you once hated. Don\u2019t minimize SGA\u2019s greatness the way Nick Wright once did with Jokic. Don\u2019t bring in personal attacks or off-court narratives like Kendrick Perkins did in the past. True basketball fans should be able to appreciate both of these players and be thankful for the unforgettable MVP races they\u2019ve given us.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The NBA Media always LOVED Jokic\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sfompby7UKQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Congratulations, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. You\u2019ve earned every bit of your first MVP.<\/p>\n<p>Photo credit: \u00a9 Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The MVP debate again has become one of the most fiercely argued topics in basketball, continuing a trend that began the moment Nikola Jokic became a perennial MVP candidate. Unfortunately, that passion has often crossed the line into toxicity. Before 2023, several high-profile figures in the national media routinely disrespected Joki\u0107. The discourse hit its [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5490,"featured_media":141619,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,20,3],"tags":[72,1489],"class_list":["post-140941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-nuggets","category-news","tag-nikola-jokic","tag-shai-gilgeous-alexander"],"modified_by":"Kenny Kluska","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5490"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140941"}],"version-history":[{"count":34,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":141623,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140941\/revisions\/141623"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}