It’s certainly not out of the ordinary to hear people praising Nikola Jokic and rushing to his defense, but it has been a little interesting to see LeBron James become one of his biggest fans recently. When the Lakers came to Denver recently, LeBron sought out Jokic on the Nuggets’ bench during an official review, giving him a big show of affection.
Then, in his press conference, James gushed about how Jokic is one of the all-time greats and how battling against him in the Olympics was one of the greatest games he’s ever been a part of.
Now, LeBron is back at it again, on his Mind the Game Podcast with guest host Tyrese Haliburton. The two stars were discussing the NBA’s 65-game rule for awards eligibility, and James made it clear how disgusted he was by the idea of Jokic, specifically, missing out on first-team All-NBA because of an injury.
LeBron seemed almost incredulous, “You can’t tell me that Jokic is not All-NBA, now all of a sudden ‘cuz he missed, you know, 30 games, you’re trying to tell me he’s not first team All-NBA, this guy’s averaging 29, 13, and 14, or some s*** like that.”
Jokic legacy may be impacted due to new rule
The honors and awards aren’t a huge deal, not nearly as important as getting fully healthy to be ready for a playoff run. But as James and Haliburton pointed out on the podcast, this kind of thing can impact players’ legacies.
It may seem silly in the moment, but when people talk about players and compare resumes, All-NBA teams are one of the first things people point to. It’s not the be-all, end-all, and there will need to be some context with these new rules, but the fact that the best player in the league is not going to make an All-NBA team for the first time in eight years, while much lesser players who play in a few extra games will receive the recognition instead, is a bit crazy and infuriating.
When people are sitting around debating the greatest players in NBA history, Jokic will have one fewer All-NBA team on his resume than he should. Kids arguing at the lunch table 30 years from now aren’t going to remember that Jokic missed out on All-NBA in the heart of his prime due to a new rule targeting load management.
And that’s a shame. These are the ways we’ve chosen to remember players and allow their legend to live on long beyond their playing careers. Now, that’s being impacted by a misguided rule with unintended consequences, and players around the league are taking notice.