NBA Champion Slams ESPN for Giannis Antetokounmpo Over Nikola Jokic Ranking

This Boston Celtics champion believes the Denver Nuggets star is on top

ESPN has released their annual top-100 NBA players list, and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was shockingly ranked second behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. While Antetokounmpo is amazing, and very much in the top tier of NBA players, what Jokic did last postseason was unprecedented.

Leading the entire playoffs in total points, rebounds, and assists, Jokic became the first player in NBA history to lead a postseason in all three categories. This was just one of several ways Jokic made history last postseason, which is why the Finals MVP is atop the league for most people.

One of the many NBA figures who has spoken out against ESPN's list is Boston Celtics champion Brian Scalabrine, who said on SiriusXM NBA Radio that the gap between Jokic and the next best NBA player is just as big as the gap between LeBron James and the next best NBA player in 2012.

“He’s doing everything.”@scalabrine isn’t buying Nikola Jokić not being ranked 1st on ESPN’s player ranking pic.twitter.com/MvTM3PEmSD

— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) October 12, 2023

"Look what he did last year with that team," Scalabrine said. "He's doing everything. He's playing the mentality game way up there, he's also - defensively I know he's not Giannis with the blocked shots and the length and all that stuff, but he has solid defensive positioning, he's always in the right spot. The guy is so freaking good, I just don't understand right now how it's not a wide margin."

Scalabrine acknowledged this could change, but for now he has Jokic way above everyone else.

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