FIBA and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and three-time NBA champion, Toni Kukoc, has recently shared his thoughts on NBA champion and six-time All-Star, Nikola Jokic.
The former Croatian basketball icon has disclosed that, despite the statistics posted by the superstar of the Nuggets, he is still in line to surpass basketball icons such as Vlade Divac and Dino Radja, considering the center position.
According to Sporski Zurnal, the former NBA icon mentioned, "Maybe it will be, but not yet. Despite all the statistics, Jokić is not in the center position at the level of Divac and Radja. 30 years ago, Divac surprised America with his height leading the ball, Radja how he could catch the ball under the basket and reach the other side to score. Anyone who remembers Sabonis knows how he dominated as a center. It"s a shame that his Achilles tendons bothered him so much. Jokic has improved a lot and can improve his game a lot more."
We want to hear your opinion 😅 pic.twitter.com/EOD7SMypdN
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) March 30, 2024
"Despite the statistics, Jokic isn’t at the level of [Vlade] Divac and Dino [Radja] in the center position"
– Toni Kukoc on Nikola Jokic
(Via @Eurohoopsnet / SPORSKI ZURNAL) pic.twitter.com/TRUoDWBDdh
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 30, 2024
Divac was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019, and during his active years, he also played with Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, and Sacramento Kings. Whereas, Dino Rajda was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
Both the European basketball legends made an incredible mark in the league and achieved great heights in their separate careers. The Number 21 of the Sacramento Kings has been retired by the squad in honor of Divac. The FIBA’s 50 greatest players of 1991, Divac concluded his NBA career with 13,398 points, 9,326 rebounds, and 1,631 blocks.
The two-time EuroLeague Champion and two-time Greek League Champion, Rajda, ended his career in the league with 3,733 points, 1,883 rebounds, and 356 assists.
The three-time EuroLeague champion, Kukoc, also mentioned, "Jokić is not an athlete, he doesn"t run fast and doesn"t jump like American college players, but he has an incredible ability to get the game into a rhythm that suits him. He hits, assists, catches balls, all in his own “fashion". When he gets the game into a rhythm that suits him, then he can do whatever he wants."
Kukoc also indicated that the two-time NBA MVP Jokic has incredible dominance because of the style of his play and that most players are unprepared for his skills. The Nuggets are third in the Western Conference and for the season, they are 51-23.
