Nikola Jokic: What NBA Championship Triumph Means for Denver’s Superstar

• Nikola Jokic is on top of the world
• He led the Denver Nuggets to their first NBA title with a historic run in the postseason
• The Serbian's latest achievements make him a legendary player in the NBA

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets are NBA champions at last. After years of disappointment in the postseason, they finally checked the box they wanted to do for decades.

Jokic won the Finals MVP, finally silencing all doubters who thought his MVP wins were a fluke. He joins a select few players to win the Finals MVP and regular season MVP. But what does this title mean for him and his career?

The 28-year-old Serbian could retire today, and his legacy in the league will be solid. The Nuggets beat the Heat in five games, and Jokic averaged 30.2 points, 14 rebounds, and 7.2 assists. He closed the series with 28 points, 16 rebounds, and four assists in Game 5, per USA Today.

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Moreover, at 28, his resume is almost spotless: NBA champion, Finals MVP, Western Conference Finals MVP, two-time league MVP, five-time All-Star, and five-time All-NBA selection.

Jokic makes history

Before their title win, the Nuggets had never been to the NBA Finals. Before Jokic, they had made just one conference finals and had never won an NBA title.

The Serbian led them to their first-ever No. 1 seed and almost capped it off with a historic third straight MVP award. In the just-concluded playoff run, he recorded 10 triple-doubles to take his playoff tally to 16. Only LeBron James and Magic Johnson have more.

In the Western Conference finals, Jokic helped the Nuggets get their first-ever series sweep after beating the Los Angeles Lakers. In the finals, he became the second player in NBA history to record a triple-double in his NBA Finals debut, per Sporting News.

Moreover, Jokic led all players in total points (600), rebounds (269), and assists (190) in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, becoming the first player to lead all three categories in a single postseason. That alone cements this run as one of the best in NBA history.

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The title and Jokic's legacy

Before the playoffs started, many analysts were unsure if Jokic's skills could work in the postseason. Bu every question that was asked of him, he answered convincingly. He not only averaged 30.0 points per game in the playoffs, he also almost made history with a near triple-double. He also averaged 13.5 rebounds and 9.5 assists.

He's now on an exclusive list of players who've won two regular-season MVPs and at least one in the Finals, namely:

Jokić, Tim Duncan, Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Moses Malone, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

These 11 players are arguably the most important in the history of the NBA, and being part of that list is special, per Bleacher Report.

Jokic has completed basketball. If he retires today, he is a top 25 player of all time. His win shut down narratives about his ability to lead a team to a title. Furthermore, he is now one of the best centers in the game because of his versatility. Where he lands among some of the best centers is up for debate.

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Although his performances on the court take the spotlight, he also showed he is a selfless team player. When he won the conference finals, he said that the award was for the whole team. That is the kind of mentality that gave the Nuggets an edge in the postseason.

He proved his MVP awards were not a fluke by doing it on the biggest stage of all. We have witnessed an all-time performance from an all-time player.

Nuggets win NBA title

Sports Brief earlier reported on the Nuggets clinching their first-ever NBA title after beating the Miami Heat in five games in the 2023 NBA Finals.

They beat the Heat 94-89 in Game 5 to close out the series.

Five players scored double figures for the Nuggets, who won the championship series by a score of four games to one.