Nikola Jokić has earned plenty of praise over the years-from coaches, players, and analysts alike-but one of his most vocal admirers lately? LeBron James.
And it’s not just a few compliments tossed out in passing. James has gone out of his way to show respect to the Nuggets big man, both on and off the court.
When the Lakers visited Denver recently, LeBron made a point to seek out Jokić during a break in the action. Cameras caught him walking over to the Nuggets bench during a review, greeting Jokić with a warm embrace that felt more like two legends sharing mutual respect than just another in-game interaction. Afterward, in his postgame press conference, LeBron didn’t hold back-calling Jokić one of the all-time greats and even saying that facing him in Olympic competition was one of the best games of his life.
That admiration continued on the latest episode of the Mind the Game podcast, where LeBron sat down with guest host Tyrese Haliburton. The two stars tackled a hot-button topic in today’s NBA: the 65-game minimum rule for awards eligibility. And when it came to how that rule could affect Jokić this season, LeBron didn’t mince words.
“You can’t tell me that Jokić is not All-NBA,” James said, clearly frustrated. “Now all of a sudden, ‘cause 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.”
It’s a powerful statement, and it speaks to a growing concern among players. The league’s new rule, designed to curb load management, is having ripple effects-especially when it comes to how we recognize greatness.
Jokić, arguably the best player in the league right now, could find himself left off the All-NBA list for the first time in eight years. Not because his game has slipped.
Not because someone else outplayed him. But because of a rule that doesn’t account for context-like injuries or the sheer dominance he brings when he is on the floor.
And that’s where this becomes more than just a debate about awards. As LeBron and Haliburton pointed out, these accolades matter.
Not necessarily in the moment-players care far more about winning and staying healthy for the postseason-but in the long run, legacy is shaped by these honors. All-NBA selections are often the first thing brought up in debates about careers, Hall of Fame cases, or all-time rankings.
So if Jokić ends up missing out on a First Team nod because he didn’t hit the 65-game mark, that’s a line missing on his résumé. It might not seem like much now, but fast forward a few decades and that absence could skew how future generations remember him.
Kids arguing about GOATs over lunch trays aren’t going to pull up injury reports from 2026. They’ll look at the numbers, the awards, the accolades-and wonder why Jokić didn’t make All-NBA in the middle of his prime.
That’s the unintended consequence of a rule meant to fix one problem but potentially creating another. No one’s arguing against the importance of player availability. But when a guy is putting up video-game numbers and dominating every time he steps on the floor, it’s hard to stomach the idea that he could be left out of a season’s top honors because of a technicality.
The players are noticing. The fans are noticing.
And if the league wants to preserve the integrity of its awards-and the legacies they help define-it may need to take a closer look at how rigid this rule really should be. Because if Nikola Jokić, in the heart of his prime, isn’t considered one of the top five players in the league this year, then the system might be missing the point.