The NBA offseason has its own sacred traditions, doesn’t it? There’s the Draft, the chaos of free agency, and, of course, the annual photo drop of Nikola Jokic living his absolute best life back home in Serbia, looking like he hasn’t seen a weight room in months. And right on schedule, after the Nuggets’ tough playoff exit, the first images have surfaced. There he is, the three-time MVP, shirtless and carefree, rafting down a river with his buddies. He’s not exactly chiseled, and that’s putting it mildly.

And you know what? The basketball world absolutely loves it. It’s become a core part of the Jokic legend. Fans go nuts for it. “That’s my MVP!” one will tweet. Another will joke, “Jokic trains like a retired fisherman and still gives your favorite player 40, 15, and 10.” It’s this hilarious, almost mythical narrative: the guy who is arguably the best basketball player on the entire planet looks like your buddy who loves a few beers and a big plate of barbecue on the weekend.

His teammate DeAndre Jordan even said on FanDuel TV that the last time he heard from Jokic, “he sent me a picture of him with a horse. Like a selfie of him and the horse together.” It just proves the point: Jokic clocks out of his 9-to-5 NBA job and goes back to being a regular dude who loves his horses and his hometown.

But as soon as those new photos of a relaxed, beer-belly-having Jokic hit the timeline, a different, much spicier conversation immediately kicked off. It’s a debate that highlights a wild double standard in the NBA, and it all revolves around another European superstar: Luka Doncic. One fan on X (formerly Twitter) saw the Jokic pics and put it perfectly:

“If this was Luka tho…” And that one comment just blew the doors wide open. Because let’s be real, he’s got a point. Can you imagine the meltdown if a shirtless picture of Luka looking like that surfaced?

Luka Doncic’s conditioning has been a constant, nagging storyline for years. It’s become a running joke among fans. In fact, after the Lakers’ first-round exit this year, the criticism about his fitness and defense came fast and furious, the same concerns that reportedly motivated the Mavericks to trade him in the first place. The pressure on Luka to maintain a certain physique is non-stop and intense.

Yet, here’s Jokic, looking like he’s in full summer vacation dad mode, and the reaction from most fans is pure love and affection. So, what’s the deal? Why does Jokic get a pass while Luka gets endlessly roasted?

The answer is simple, and it’s spelled R-I-N-G-S. And MVPs. Nikola Jokic has the hardware. He’s a three-time league MVP, a Finals MVP, and an NBA Champion. When you’re that good, when you’ve accomplished that much, nobody can say a damn thing about how you look. Luka, for all his magical, otherworldly talent, just doesn’t have that same resume… yet. And until he does, it seems he’ll be held to a different, much harsher standard. However, fans are quick to  point out the double standards that the media has when it comes to both these players

Fan reactions unpack the “rings and respect” double standard

The sentiment was almost universal, with fans immediately pointing out the difference in how the two players are perceived. One fan just laid it out there:“Imagine if Luka was seen doing this”

This comment just cuts right to the chase, doesn’t it? It perfectly captures the “what if” that every fan was thinking. If a photo of Luka Doncic looking like that, even for a second in the offseason, were to surface, the sports talk shows would have a field day. It would be a lead story for a week, with analysts questioning his commitment and his leadership.

Another fan echoed that exact thought, getting a little more direct with it:”Luka would be getting crushed for this.” And they’re not wrong. Luka’s conditioning has been a hot-button issue for his entire career. We’ve seen prominent media personalities like Stephen A. Smith publicly question if his fitness level is a “leadership issue.” It’s become a whole narrative cycle: the “skinny Luka” photos emerge in the summer, creating hype, and then any time he seems to struggle during the season, the conditioning talk comes right back.

Some fans even took a more sarcastic, almost sympathetic approach to Luka’s situation, joking about why he might seem less than thrilled during the season sometimes.“pretty sure luka always has more fun when he isn’t playing basketball”

It’s a funny line, but there’s a little truth in there, right? The NBA season for Luka is a constant grind under an intense microscope, where every single thing, including his body shape, is analyzed and criticized. The offseason, for him, might feel like the only time he can escape that pressure. For Jokic, the offseason is just who he is. For Luka, it’s a brief escape from who everyone expects him to be.

And, of course, the internet had to bring the memes. The “Luka lookalike” meme – that viral picture of a heavier guy who looked a bit like Luka sitting at a restaurant – is a perfect example of this whole phenomenon. So, when Jokic’s photos dropped, you just knew the jokes were coming. One fan, seeing Jokic’s relaxed physique, simply commented:“Luka has joined the group”

It’s a hilarious, playful jab, basically welcoming Jokic to the “offseason dad bod” club that Luka is often unfairly placed in. It just perfectly highlights the whole double standard. While fans are celebrating Jokic for being “one of us,” they’re also acknowledging that if his name was Luka Doncic, the conversation would be completely different. It’s a fascinating look at how rings, and a whole lot of them, can buy you a level of respect, and a level of peace and quiet, that other superstars can only dream of.