Why the Nikola Jokic/Joel Embiid rivalry of MVP big men is completely dead

It was fun while it lasted
Basketball - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 13
Basketball - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 13 | Ezra Shaw/GettyImages

Over the years, a bit of a natural rivalry has formed between the two men who have reinvigorated the center position in the NBA. For years, the league was dominated by big men like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, and others. 

Historical eras of the league were defined by the dominating centers who patrolled the paint. But the game started to change in the 1980s with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant ushered in another new era beyond that. Then in recent decades, Steph Curry has changed the game to an even further degree.

The conventional center had become almost obsolete in the NBA, something that would have seemed unfathomable a decade or so earlier. The way we thought about the center position had completely changed as the league was dominated by guards and wing players from the perimeter.

But then Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid came along, and the dynamic shifted back. The two international behemoths changed the game again, putting a new emphasis on the center position. But these are modern big men; they can dominate the game inside and out.

A rivalry formed as these giants eyed each other from across conferences, rarely crossing paths, but both rising to the top of their games. They started battling for MVP Awards, a role on the first-team All-NBA, and overall supremacy - to be regarded as the best.

But to be the best, they had to beat the best. For years, they waged war back and forth. Jokic won two MVP awards, with Embiid finishing just behind him. Then, things swung the other way as Embiid claimed the crown in 2023 with Jokic the runner-up, and it seemed that he had taken control of the rivalry.

The Joker quickly turned things back around though as he led the Nuggets to the title that year and took home the Finals MVP award. Oh, and he followed that up with another MVP award last season while Embiid battled injuries all year.

It feels like just yesterday that these regular season matchups would be appointment television that felt like they’d decide the MVP award. But the sad reality is that those days are over. Embiid put up a valiant fight, but this one is in the books, as Jokic has outlasted and outclassed his chief rival.

Nikola Jokic has decidedly won the “rivalry” with Joel Embiid

For one, Embiid simply cannot stay on the court. Durability has been a problem for his entire career and it has always seemed to pop up when he’s supposed to face Jokic as somehow he has only been able to take the court against Denver 8 times total - he hasn’t played in Denver since 2019.

But this is about more than health; the fact is, these players are just not in the same class. Embiid will go down as an all-time great. He has won an MVP award and made plenty of All-NBA teams. By all accounts, he’s had a great career. But it’s starting to feel like that career may be close to over. 

He can’t stay on the court and his knee issues are chronic. He can manage the pain and swelling but it’s clear he’ll never consistently be the player he once was. We may see it in glimpses, but his days of making All-NBA teams and being a franchise player are over. 

Even their matchup in the Olympic semifinals didn’t feel like it had juice; Jokic was carrying an entire country while Embiid was just along for the ride, more sideshow than meaningful contributor.

It’s a sad ending for a once-great player and longtime contemporary of Nikola Jokic. But even at his peak, Embiid never quite reached that level. He has never led the 76ers past the second round of the NBA playoffs and that isn’t going to change anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Jokic has just continued elevating his game and his status. He’s potentially on his way to a fourth MVP award and is still in the hunt for more championship rings. His legacy has risen to another level and he’s now considered among the best of the best, building a case for top-10 all-time status and beyond.

So while it’s fun to think of the battles of the past between Embiid and Jokic as the 76ers come to Denver to face the Nuggets on Tuesday night, those days are over. The Sixers are an old, battered team, deciding whether to tank or shoot for a play-in spot. Times are dark in Philadelphia. 

On the other hand, things just keep getting better in Denver. At age 29, Jokic has showed no signs of slowing down and he’s arguably having the best season of his career. He doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon and should be helping the Nuggets vie for titles for years to come.

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