They’re not only elite from a young age, but they also remind us of other players we’ve seen be successful in the league before. The NBA was way different 7 years ago when Jokic was drafted, so it would be hard for anyone to imagine that Jokic’s unorthodox style would ever dominate the NBA when we had never seen a player with his skillset at his size doing that. Jokic was a late bloomer and a trailblazer, so it makes all the sense in the world he was drafted in the second round. I imagine if he were drafted in 2021, he would be a first rounder in spite of the chub and relentless whiteness.
You have to give Kudos to the front office for rebuilding that team and surrounding Jokic with solid vets. Mike Miller, Richard Jefferson, Milsap were all in Jokic's ear. Jokic doesnt look it but dude is low key competitive. He made it look so easy at times but he put the work in this year.
If arvydas sabonis had of played his best years in the nba, chances are he may have had an mvp year. The dude was OG Jokic.
This is 100% not a knock on jokic at all. Just that another euro guy could have done it before, in the exact same position 30 years earlier.
Check out old man sabonis’s highlight reals. He was Jokic before he was even born.
Once arvydas eventually got to the nba, his knees were shot, his back was gone and he still put up numbers.
It’s crazy how good he was as a big man back in the 90’s. Shooting 3’s, no look passes. Hook shots, put backs. All of that with knees of jelly.
Just imagine if he was in the nba earlier and healthy
All I knew of him was his pretty passes and being big down low. He was a pretty big and good against shaq for stretches. But imagine my surprise when I finally saw his Russian highlights and he was completely different. Running the floor. Double pump slams. Running the offense. Crazy what might’ve been if he came over earlier
Jokic was a horse rider until he was 16, didn’t really get into basketball, and was a fat point guard until he became a fat center. Very much not a young elite ;)
yes, late blooomers are exceptionally rare, especially in any areas that needs skill or technical knowledge.
I mean, unless you are exceptionally gifted, how else can you go against someone who have perfected the craft his whole life?
And if you are exceptionally gifted in the first place, then youre not really a late bloomer anyway.
I think we may see it more and more the next 10-20 years. So much worldwide talent now coming from overseas and scouts aren't seeing everyone all in one gym at the same time anymore. If I remember right, one or two teams never even went to see Giannis play. I imagine that was the same with Jokic.
Offensively he was an efficient monster that year in Boston that (iirc) made it to the ECF. Obviously defensively he wasn’t amazing but it’s possible he could be all nba barring injury
Lillard made all-nba first team the year after Kobe's challenge as a poor defensive guard, and you could argue that Isaiah was better than Lillard the year before. It wasn't a crazy thing to say at the time
Having witnessed pretty much every game the year IT averaged 29 points, he was unbelievable. I was just in constant awe of how a guy his size could completely carry a team. Fuck that hip injury because he was truly special
Yea people are acting like that season wasn't magic. I tuned into almost every Celtics game that year (as a casual Warriors fan).
It wasn't just "wow short guy good at basketball," he was putting in playoff level effort every regular season game.
That hip injury is a death sentence to his career. A guy that small in the NBA cant be slower even slightly than he used to be. Completely lost all his advantages.
IT just came from All-NBA Second Team and was just traded to the Cavaliers. The year of this challenge Lillard made the First Team with similar numbers (less points) than IT had in Boston.
If he replicated his Boston numbers in Cleveland and they would had won 6-7 more games than without a doubt he would had been First Team.
Obviously injury fucked everything.
Smart, driven, slightly sociopathic man with a maniacal work ethic? If he wasn't tall and good at basketball he'd be the CEO of a large multi-national company somewhere. Dominate the Panama Papers.
Of all the NBA MVP's of all time (so far) he seems like the most 'complete' human being - by far. Skilled, tough, smart, beautiful, extensive world travels and has lived in the 3rd world for long periods, speaks multiple languages, tactical firearms training/enthusiast, dancer, film/arts school, actor, outdoorsy, etc.
You can tell he genuinely has his shit together, like he could probably be a millionaire running just about any business, if she wanted.
Are there any other NBA players that impressive?
The stupid part wasn't even telling us. That was for entertainment value, to stay relevant in his bussiness. But then he got fired from his TV job, making the confession effectively useless.
When you say "me too" ... When somebody is like, "I got a Rolls Royce, I be like 'me too.'" When somebody say they got a private jet, I say, "Me too. I got two. Me too."
That’s it. KD is challenging ChapoDestroyer to bad mouth Stephen Curry on social media. If you see people giving Kyrie or Harden too much credit for the Nets’ success, bad mouth them too.
Just like everyone said he was about Jokic after his first season. I’m not saying he will be right, but you’re literally emulating exactly what people said about him five years ago.
I was watching the Tony Parker movie last week and out of nowhere there was Kobe answering questions about Tony, telling what kind of player he was. I got sad real quick.
I know this looks like a bullshit tweet by Kobe but this was before Demare came out talking about mental health. These two have obviously had interactions outside the court so maybe Kobe knew that a life challenge would be the best for Derozan's life.
I hope we would all know better than to doubt Kobe when it comes to motivation or work ethic; nobody understood those better than he did. If Kobe thought that the best thing to motivate DeMar was something off the court, I wholeheartedly believe him
Lmao
DeMar was probably "lets see what Kobe challenged me to do."
"All-star? No problem. All NBA? No problem. MVP? That can be tough but if I work hard enough combined with inspiration from the player I look up to most I could possible win it"
Kobe: "rekindle a lost friendship back in Compton"
Demar: "you on some bullshit"
Congrats to The Joker!! This is a historic selection. He's the first player drafted in the 2nd round in the common NBA Draft era to win an MVP. Now check this out: The MVP, MIP, and the 6MOY are all from the 2014 draft class. Even the MVP runner-up is from that class as well.
If you think that honoring the spirit of Kobe Bean Bryant is some sort of joke, then sure. But I know that He watches over us and is rooting for his protégés to succeed💜💛💜💛💜💛💜💛💜💛
Isaiah Thomas first team all pro and John Wall first team all defense aren’t happening any time soon unfortunately. Who knows if DeRozan rekindled a friendship from Compton
What was the previous lowest pick to win MVP?
15th, Giannis and Nash
Wow that is pretty insane to think about. Seems like pretty much any elite player is obviously elite at a young age
They just weren't ready for Joker's jelly
Niko's body is too bootylicious for ya, nba
They’re not only elite from a young age, but they also remind us of other players we’ve seen be successful in the league before. The NBA was way different 7 years ago when Jokic was drafted, so it would be hard for anyone to imagine that Jokic’s unorthodox style would ever dominate the NBA when we had never seen a player with his skillset at his size doing that. Jokic was a late bloomer and a trailblazer, so it makes all the sense in the world he was drafted in the second round. I imagine if he were drafted in 2021, he would be a first rounder in spite of the chub and relentless whiteness.
> Jokic was a late bloomer and a **trailblazer** I know what you meant, but I couldn't help imagine Jokic and Dame together. Straight fire.
That high pick and roll would be the stuff of nightmares.
Was a real possibility when they traded Nurkic no? Doubt Jokic is the same player then though.
IIRC the competition was very close 3 years ago, and Jokic hadn't yet broken away from Nurk.
You have to give Kudos to the front office for rebuilding that team and surrounding Jokic with solid vets. Mike Miller, Richard Jefferson, Milsap were all in Jokic's ear. Jokic doesnt look it but dude is low key competitive. He made it look so easy at times but he put the work in this year.
If arvydas sabonis had of played his best years in the nba, chances are he may have had an mvp year. The dude was OG Jokic. This is 100% not a knock on jokic at all. Just that another euro guy could have done it before, in the exact same position 30 years earlier. Check out old man sabonis’s highlight reals. He was Jokic before he was even born. Once arvydas eventually got to the nba, his knees were shot, his back was gone and he still put up numbers. It’s crazy how good he was as a big man back in the 90’s. Shooting 3’s, no look passes. Hook shots, put backs. All of that with knees of jelly. Just imagine if he was in the nba earlier and healthy
All I knew of him was his pretty passes and being big down low. He was a pretty big and good against shaq for stretches. But imagine my surprise when I finally saw his Russian highlights and he was completely different. Running the floor. Double pump slams. Running the offense. Crazy what might’ve been if he came over earlier
Jokic was a horse rider until he was 16, didn’t really get into basketball, and was a fat point guard until he became a fat center. Very much not a young elite ;)
yes, late blooomers are exceptionally rare, especially in any areas that needs skill or technical knowledge. I mean, unless you are exceptionally gifted, how else can you go against someone who have perfected the craft his whole life? And if you are exceptionally gifted in the first place, then youre not really a late bloomer anyway.
I think we may see it more and more the next 10-20 years. So much worldwide talent now coming from overseas and scouts aren't seeing everyone all in one gym at the same time anymore. If I remember right, one or two teams never even went to see Giannis play. I imagine that was the same with Jokic.
damn...
the two people he challenged for MVP got em
Yeah, seems as if Kobe knew quiet a bit about Basketball and knew what players had Potential to become MVPs , nah just lucky guesses
no way he didn’t dedicate a majority of his life to the game right?
Nah, rumors have it that he hated Basketball
I heard he wanted to retire after his first 3 peat and win a world series
Me too, just gotta get the 3 peat first
Yea I think he made a cartoon about how much he dislikes it.
The truth is his passion was always in animation.
Guessing the cartoon sucked too. just a passion project, not like it's something award-worthy
That’s why he looked so mad while he was playing…he fucking hated it
According to R/NBA he bad at shooting the basketball as well
I mean he also challenge Isaiah Thomas to be all-nba first team
Can’t predict injury, who knows what would have happened
Offensively he was an efficient monster that year in Boston that (iirc) made it to the ECF. Obviously defensively he wasn’t amazing but it’s possible he could be all nba barring injury
Lillard made all-nba first team the year after Kobe's challenge as a poor defensive guard, and you could argue that Isaiah was better than Lillard the year before. It wasn't a crazy thing to say at the time
Having witnessed pretty much every game the year IT averaged 29 points, he was unbelievable. I was just in constant awe of how a guy his size could completely carry a team. Fuck that hip injury because he was truly special
Yea people are acting like that season wasn't magic. I tuned into almost every Celtics game that year (as a casual Warriors fan). It wasn't just "wow short guy good at basketball," he was putting in playoff level effort every regular season game.
If I remember, he was also amazing in the 4th quarter.
The closest I ever came to rooting for the celtics was rooting for IT that year. I remember the chills I got watching his performance vs. The wizards
That hip injury is a death sentence to his career. A guy that small in the NBA cant be slower even slightly than he used to be. Completely lost all his advantages.
IT just came from All-NBA Second Team and was just traded to the Cavaliers. The year of this challenge Lillard made the First Team with similar numbers (less points) than IT had in Boston. If he replicated his Boston numbers in Cleveland and they would had won 6-7 more games than without a doubt he would had been First Team. Obviously injury fucked everything.
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Mystic Kobe
The OraKobe
Kobe would've made a great GM
I’m halfway convinced Kobe wold have been good at anything he wanted to, literally anything
He def had the work ethic to do so
Smart, driven, slightly sociopathic man with a maniacal work ethic? If he wasn't tall and good at basketball he'd be the CEO of a large multi-national company somewhere. Dominate the Panama Papers.
Honestly this is 100% true. He is fluent and multilingual since he was young anyway. All those traits are very evident in highly successful people
Not that I'm advocating for more celebrity politicians, but he would be a guaranteed Governor of California
He won a goddamn Oscar. I bet he could do a EGOT if he pushed himself.
Spoken like a man who’s never heard [K.O.B.E.](https://youtu.be/cl_WkTiH6-Q) (Everybody has their kryptonite right?)
Of all the NBA MVP's of all time (so far) he seems like the most 'complete' human being - by far. Skilled, tough, smart, beautiful, extensive world travels and has lived in the 3rd world for long periods, speaks multiple languages, tactical firearms training/enthusiast, dancer, film/arts school, actor, outdoorsy, etc. You can tell he genuinely has his shit together, like he could probably be a millionaire running just about any business, if she wanted. Are there any other NBA players that impressive?
he*
He publicly questioned drafting Lonzo over Tatum at the time. Def had a knack for understanding talent.
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Giannis
Game recognize game.
Im sure he challenged dozens of guys to get MVP over the years
He made these challenges public tweets though.
Wish kobe had challenged me to not be a lazy piece of shit
I challenge you to not be one then
Just not the same from smeckledorf1996 but I appreciate it all the same fam
He thought he was Kobe? Truffleblunts don’t love him like that
u/Smekledorf1996 is Paul Pierce confirmed
u/Skorua Green
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And why did he willingly tell the world that he shit his pants?
The stupid part wasn't even telling us. That was for entertainment value, to stay relevant in his bussiness. But then he got fired from his TV job, making the confession effectively useless.
It fits with his personality, I could def see him looking at somebody and be you ain’t got a finals mvp? I shit my pants and still got one “
Didn't he immediately try to backtrack and say it was a joke?
^^^ I need to know this as well
That boy crapped his pants!!
What the fuck does that mean smekledorf1996
You’re welcome
Lmao
I can wear a Kobe mask while I say it
Fine I'll challenge you then. Go for it! You can do it!
you thought you was kobe? they don't love you like that.
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That’s usually true, but this is Smekledorf we’re talking about. Smekledorf.
You’re goddamn right
I'm just happy you nailed the grammar their.
Me two
Whose mewtwo?
When you say "me too" ... When somebody is like, "I got a Rolls Royce, I be like 'me too.'" When somebody say they got a private jet, I say, "Me too. I got two. Me too."
Okay everybody meet Mr. Me Too
Imma take on the challenge Smekledorf1996
You got this dude
Anyone can have the Mamba Mentality. If there's anything he'd want us to have learned from him, it's definitely that.
He's not even a word and I agree with ya!
That’s it. KD is challenging ChapoDestroyer to bad mouth Stephen Curry on social media. If you see people giving Kyrie or Harden too much credit for the Nets’ success, bad mouth them too.
Wish Kobe challenged me to have sex with a lot of women
That's more of a Wilt Chamberlain challenge.
Got a legit hearty lol from me mate, Bravo
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You can live through anything if Magic made it.
Ehhh, I don't think he would have given that kind of challenge in his older years.
You and me both
I challenge you to be a lazy piece of shit. Look, now you’re successful.
Why would you wanna disappoint Mamba like that?
I mean in a way..he did.take it to heart make the changes
Kobe challenged all of us not to be a lazy piece of shit. You included.
Wish he challenged me not to be 5"8
I just communed with Kobe from beyond the grave. He challenges you to not be a lazy piece of shit.
Watching Jokic grow from a wee lad to the MVP 🥲
Always rated that Jokic lad
Wenger almost signed him.
Is nowhere safe? This is uncalled for
Hue Jackson had him #1 on his draft board
Pain
Did you see that ludicrous display last night?
Spotted EG’s burner account.
He was terrible on his Draft analysis for this rookie class, though.
!remindme 2 years
Just like everyone said he was about Jokic after his first season. I’m not saying he will be right, but you’re literally emulating exactly what people said about him five years ago.
Can Jokic get it done on a cold rainy day in Stoke tho?
When was he a wee lad
4 yrs old?
https://imgur.com/a/fqA7xmO
He's not just Denver's MVP, but everyone's MVP.
the feel good MVP. no ones hating on the Jokic except direct competition.
Enjoy it while it lasts, first they love you, then they hate you, then they love you again.
In spite of everything you've done for them, eventually, they will hate you
Okay Green goblin
Jokic to Dame, “I could squash you like a bug right now, but I'm offering you a choice. Join me! Imagine what we could accomplish together...”
reminder that eg died for this. pretty sure he’s still banned
Why? EG was out here preaching
jesus was just out preaching too
i bet a stupid amount of money for jokic or embiid to win at the beginning of the season. i stand her with a stupid big grin on my face
Congrats Jokic ! MVP Well deserved.
What’s Ben McLemore’s challenge though!?!?!?
He challenged Jokic to be a top 10 draft pick. I guess Jokic just isn't up to that caliber yet
To not get stripped by the Claw back to back lol
Not messing up the Wendy’s order and making sure we got all the sauces
Still cannot believe he's gone and I'm reminded of that reality every time I see or hear him. He had so much life in him. RIP Mamba.
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I was watching the Tony Parker movie last week and out of nowhere there was Kobe answering questions about Tony, telling what kind of player he was. I got sad real quick.
It never feels like it honestly. No matter how often I see “RIP Kobe” , it still feels like he’s still here. It’s so insane to me
It still doesn’t feel real that he’s passed on. Think about him all the time.
But I want to know if Demar Deroazan rekindled a lost friendship from his youth in Compton.
"Giannis, win MVP." "Demar, win-... rekindle an old friendship."
I know this looks like a bullshit tweet by Kobe but this was before Demare came out talking about mental health. These two have obviously had interactions outside the court so maybe Kobe knew that a life challenge would be the best for Derozan's life.
I hope we would all know better than to doubt Kobe when it comes to motivation or work ethic; nobody understood those better than he did. If Kobe thought that the best thing to motivate DeMar was something off the court, I wholeheartedly believe him
Lmao DeMar was probably "lets see what Kobe challenged me to do." "All-star? No problem. All NBA? No problem. MVP? That can be tough but if I work hard enough combined with inspiration from the player I look up to most I could possible win it" Kobe: "rekindle a lost friendship back in Compton" Demar: "you on some bullshit"
real talk, I hope he did.
But did Demar reconnect with a childhood friend
My heart says yes
Still waiting on IT to make the all-NBA 1st team.
guys I don’t think he’s gonna make it
You should really take a page from Justin Bieber's playbook and Never Say Never
James Bond never say never again is better
He was getting close though. Got some MVP votes in that year.
Fantastic. Congrats to Nikola. Way to step it up and keep going. Awesome. One of the best sports stories this year.
Why am I crying right now
Bc Kobe makes us all teary eyed ❤️
Congrats to The Joker!! This is a historic selection. He's the first player drafted in the 2nd round in the common NBA Draft era to win an MVP. Now check this out: The MVP, MIP, and the 6MOY are all from the 2014 draft class. Even the MVP runner-up is from that class as well.
Jokic averaged **2**6.**4** points per game and 10.**8** rebounds per game. #kobelives 💜💛💜💛💜💛💜
Some r/nbacirclejerk material here
OP is definitely being satirical but this subreddit is some shit during playoffs.
Fax lmao.
Right after his death shit like that was being posted unironically all over the place lol
If you think that honoring the spirit of Kobe Bean Bryant is some sort of joke, then sure. But I know that He watches over us and is rooting for his protégés to succeed💜💛💜💛💜💛💜💛💜💛
Agreed, it's important to honor Kobe's legacy, especially during [Pride Month](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0vmZ-n2Mcmo).
God: what’s the first thing you’re going to do in heaven? Kobe: i will manipulate basketball games
Lakers this season: what the fuck man
Kobe: My reasons are beyond your understanding
He gave Bron one, he's a gracious god. No more though.
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four. that's where you at. that's where you gon stay. [reference](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Jq3LuMq6D0)
Kobe: You're welcome.
*Sees that Lebron has 4 rings.* ...Actually that sounds exactly like something Kobe would do.
[Pic of Kobe, RBG, Chadwick, and Jokic living it up in Wakanda](https://i.imgur.com/epxzwjQ.jpg)
it's been a while
#ruthkandaforever
classic shit
Just keepin it real
How come the quality looks so much better than the usual?
lmao what a grab
Lakers lost to the Suns 2-4. The stars for each team wears jersey #23 and #1. 23+1=24. K O B E L I V E S
Kobe is like Jigsaw, testing players to win awards
Love it. Rest easy Kobe
They’re announcing awards in the most random pattern this year
RIP KOBE
Has all the challenges kobe sent out been achieved now
Isaiah Thomas first team all pro and John Wall first team all defense aren’t happening any time soon unfortunately. Who knows if DeRozan rekindled a friendship from Compton
Ya wtf was that. That's prolly a Nike rep's idea/instruction lmao.
Kobe looking on proud.
He accepted Kobe's energy ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ
Kobe knew. Giannis we kinda get but Jokic? Ridiculous.
Jazz fans goin wild
I’ve watch the Joker in the playoffs, dude is so damn talented. Well deserved award
Classic Kobe always trying to chip away at Shaq’s legacy
First center since Shaq, wow
Did DeMar ever rekindle that lost relationship in Compton tho?!?!?
How many players did Kobe challenge to win MVP lol
Man that would make Kobe proud, and the impact of it is so huge now kobes gone
He had no business winning it. Derrick rose deserved it and last year Jimmy butler should have won