Back In The Day NBA

NBA Great Makes A Case For Nikola Jokic As Greatest Of All Time

Shandel Richardson

Nov 25, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) controls the ball in the first quarter against the New York Knicks at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Nov 25, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) controls the ball in the first quarter against the New York Knicks at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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There was a time Alex English was considered the greatest player in Denver Nuggets history.

He has lost that title to an even greater Nuggets star but offered nothing but praise for center Nikola Jokic. English went far as putting Jokic in the greatest of all time debate alongside the likes of Michael Jordan and LeBron James.


"He's making a case for being the best of all time at a position that people usually don't give that acclaim to," English said to Katy Winge of Altitude Sports Network . "I remember when I first met him he was so humble and he's still humble and that's what makes a good star a superstar."

Jokic has the credentials to enter the conversation. He is a three-time MVP and led the Nuggets to a championship in 2023. This year, he is averaging 29.8 points, 14.8 rebounds and 12.3 assists for the 9-7 Nuggets. He is in position to win another MVP, which would tie him with James. Only Michael Jordan (five), Bill Russell (five) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six) have more.

As for English, he's just enjoying the Nuggets' rise in the Western Conference. His teams during the 1980s could never get over the hump despite having one of the league's most entertaining offenses.


"It feels like I was a part of it," English said of the Nuggets title in 2023. "We got to the Western Conference finals but ... I can believe I was a part of this squad when they won."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com