6 milestones Nikola Jokic needs to achieve to cement his legacy

Nikola Jokic considered the best center in the NBA today. At 30 years old, Jokic has already won three NBA MVPs, one NBA Championship, one Finals MVP and seven All-Star appearances. While the Serbian star is already writing his name into the league’s history books, he still has a milestone within reach to further cement his legacy and confirm his status as one of the best NBA players ever. See what is missing from Jokić’s legacy in the gallery.

Fourth NBA MVP

Jokic has already won three NBA MVPs in his career. Just last season, he came close to winning his fourth, lost to Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgee-Alexander. Winning another NBA MVP won’t be an impossible feat for Joker, considering he’s considered the best center in the NBA right now. Winning a fourth MVP award would easily cement him among the all-time greats.

In NBA history, only five players have won at least four MVP awards. The small club includes only LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. If Jokić can win at least one more time, he would be inducted into the club, further convincing everyone that he may in fact be the greatest center of all time.

Become the all-time leader in triple-doubles

Any basketball fan will agree that Jokic’s versatility is a sight to behold. In fact, he’s a walking triple-double threat every night. After all, he has already recorded a total of 175 triple-doubles in his illustrious career that is ranked third all time. To make matters more interesting, the Nuggets star is only in his early 30s, giving him plenty of time to collect more.

Jokic is the only center in the top five all-time, and a top spot on this list would easily make a solid case for the best big man in league history. With the way he’s playing, at this pace, it’s possible he’ll eventually overtake Russell Westbrook, who has 206 to his name, in the long run. With Westbrook’s career almost in the twilight zone, Jokic may only need three seasons to surpass the NBA MVP in 2017. He is slated to pass Oscar Robertson, who has 181, this coming season.

Eurobasket medal and MVP

In the off-season, Jokić usually spends his time playing for the Serbian national team. This year, Jokić had his second appearance at the EuroBasket. Although Serbia was tipped as one of the medal contenders, the team suffered a heavy defeat in the Round of 16 by Lauri Markanen and Finland. As a result, Jokic and Serbia returned home empty-handed.

To this day, Jokić has remained without medals at the very popular European basketball tournament. in fact was marked as one of the favorites to win the MVP of the Eurobasketgiven that he was by far the most decorated NBA player in the competition. While Jokić has proven himself in the NBA and on the Olympic stage, the absence of a EuroBasket medal for Serbia is a huge chip on his shoulder.

FIBA World Cup medal

Speaking of international basketball, Jokic also has something to prove at the FIBA ​​World Cup. Surprisingly, Jokic was absent from Serbia’s silver medal teams on the world stage in 2014 and 2023. His only appearance at the World Cup was in 2019, when Serbia finished a disappointing fifth in the tournament.

As a result, to this day, the FIBA ​​World Cup podium also eludes the three-time NBA MVP. More often than not, Serbia are usually guaranteed a podium finish on the world stage, given that they are truly one of the best European heavyweights in the world. Given that Jokić is expected to be in the Serbian jersey, he should be awarded a medal at the World Championship.

Olympic gold medal

Although it is rare for Jokić to play in the World Cup, Jokić was a permanent member of Serbia at the last Olympic Games. He performed at the 2016 and 2024 Summer Games where he helped Serbia win a medal in both tournaments. As a result, Jokic currently has a bronze and silver Olympic medal to his name.

However, the usual opponent that always stood in his way for the gold medal was always the United States of America. A win over Team USA for the gold medal would not only allow them to finally avenge their previous eliminations, but would easily cement Jokic as one of the most respected figures in international basketball.

Second NBA Championship and Finals MVP

Jokic cemented his greatness when he led Denver to the promised land in 2023. He won his first NBA title and Finals MVP. But since then, Jokic and the Nuggets seem to have struggled to replicate that same level of success. While Joker remained dominant individually, the team suffered a series of early playoff exits.

Past eliminations have left fans wondering if the Nuggets can maximize Jokic’s prime years by enduring more than one championship series. To make those criticisms go away, the best answer would be to lead the Nuggets to another title run. That’s easier said than done, though, given how well balanced the league has become.