Dirk Nowitzki Expresses His Admiration for Denver’s Nikola Jokic

• Dirk Nowitzki loves what he's seeing from Denver Nuggets' big man in the NBA Finals
• The Dallas Mavericks icon said the two-time MVP is one of the best players in the world
• The Nuggets currently have a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals best-of-seven series

NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki has showered Nikola Jokic with praise amid his incredible NBA Finals performance.

The Denver Nuggets big man is enjoying a legendary run in the playoffs. He led the Nuggets to their first-ever NBA Finals and are two games away from getting their hands on the Larry O'Brien trophy.

One thing that caught Nowitzki's eye was his one-legged high-arching unorthodox shots that stunned the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals. During that series, Jokic made several buzzer-beating unorthodox shots that silenced the crown at the Crypto.com arena.

The 28-year-old Serbian is having a great postseason. He's averaging 30.5 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 10.1 assists on 54.6% shooting from the floor in the NBA Finals. He is also shooting 57.7% on tightly contested attempts.

NBA players with dreads: Who has the best locks in the league right now?

NBA

Furthermore, his attempts resemble Nowitzki's famous one-legged fadeaway jumpers that he used to lead the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA title in 2011.

Nowitzki is in awe of Jokic

The German, who is in the Hall of Fame Class of 2023, stunned the highly favored Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals. He is considered the greatest European basketball player of all time. He is not surprised that the Nuggets center made the tough shots.

"[Jokic's] got a knack for making tough shots, so I was not really surprised that he ended up making that," Nowitzki told ESPN. "He can put the release point all the way behind his head and then shoot it super high in the air with unbelievable mark."

LeBron James was not shocked by what he saw from the Nuggets' big man in the West finals.

"I know how great Joker is," James said. "There are certain guys in this league that play the game a certain way, a certain way that I like to play the game as well, and he’s one of them," via SI.

NBA's best selling jerseys: Which are the 10 most selling jerseys in basketball?

NBA

Nowitzki added that Jokic is one of the best players in the world.

"I'm happy for him. He's amazing, one of the best players in the world," Nowitzki said. "And he's showing that right now on this stage."

If Denver wins Game 4, they'll go 3-1 up and get a chance to seal the title in front of their home crowd.

Jokic and Butler make history

Sports Brief recently reported on Jokic and Jimmy Butler making history in Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Finals.

Jokic became the first NBA center to record at least 500 points and 100 assists in one postseason following his spectacular performance in Game 2.

Butler became the third Heat player to rack up 500 points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists in a single postseason following his performance in Game 2 against the Nuggets