The debate about who is currently the most recognizable player in the NBA, Luka Doncic or Nikola Jokic, is getting more and more heated among basketball legends. The Serbian center, Nikola Jokić, with three MVP titles, and the Slovenian point guard, Luka Dončić, who competes for this award every year, have become dominant figures in the league. Their impact on the NBA was discussed by Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in the latest podcast.
Paul Pearce believes that Luka Doncic is the player under the most pressure to win the MVP title for the 2024/25 season:
“He’s been the favorite for the MVP trophy the last three years. If we talk about who is the main face of the league, Luka’s name immediately jumps out. I just feel that he is now,” said Pierce.
However, Kevin Garnett could not agree with this attitude and decided to side with Nikola Jokic:
“Jokic is a superstar. Although he is not a great athlete, he is a great leader and scores points easily. I think people are watching Joker more and more,” said Garnett, emphasizing how Jokic is changing the NBA with his style of play.
Garnett further explained why he thinks Jokic is the best basketball player in the league:
“This is the Joker’s league. Everybody who plays the four or five positions now is imitating Jokic. His high post position, his passing, the way he runs the offense – the whole league adapts to him. Look at players like Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns, Donatas Sabonis , Alperen Šenguna. Everyone wants to play fast basketball, but Denver plays positional attack and movement with him.”
This debate only further confirms how indispensable Balkan players have become in the modern NBA league, and the debate about who is the best – Doncic or Jokic – will certainly continue.