It came late in his career, but LeBron James could only get past Nikola Jokic in the playoffs once. That victory came back in 2020. By that time, the Joker was established as a revolutionary center with a gift for playmaking. But the truth of the matter is the three-time MVP was a gamble the Nuggets chose to ride their franchise upon. It rewarded them with a title, but James still commends the organization for making the choice.

The story has become popular. Jokic didn’t see his draft moment on television. He was drafted during a Taco Bell commercial in the second round. His only prior highlight tape was from one season of European basketball. All these years later you would think how any team didn’t realize his potential. But LeBron James sees it as the Nuggets transforming their style because they saw a spark from Nikola Jokic.

“Those are great stories where guys just, like, they believed in themselves, you know. Denver saw something in Nikola. He [Nurkic] was the first-round pick, yeah. Nikola was the second-round pick. They saw something in him, and obviously, they were, like, all right,” James said on Mind The Game.

The Nuggets made the tough choice. They traded Nurkic despite a breakout season in his third year. This was even after they traded their first-round pick, Doug McDermott, for Nurkic on draft day in 2014. It’s because Nikola Jokic “forced their hand with his development skills,” Steve Nash said. It was a rapid ascension indeed.

In spite of opting to play an additional year in Europe, the Joker quickly spread his influence on the Nuggets. His imperious playmaking acumen at his size and touch around the rim were traits almost never seen before. It compelled the Nuggets to pick him over Nurkic. And while it took time, it paid off.

In 2023, the Denver Nuggets beat LeBron James’ Lakers in the conference finals and went on to win the title. In fact, James faced elimination at the hands of the Joker in the first round of the next season as well. To date, that’s a guy who has been able to tip the scales in the Nuggets’ favor from improbable situations.

But what helped the Nuggets make the infamous decision?

The comparison that opened the Nuggets’ eyes

Nuggets’ team governor, John Kroenke, has his share of stories from the time the Nuggets decided to draft Nikola Jokic. Their assessment was undetermined. They felt the Joker had ‘interesting’ skills that could potentially change the landscape. However, from the tapes, he saw the star center wasn’t explosive and a number of players may have looked prettier. But his impact was mind-boggling.

By the time Nurkic came to his third season, the Nuggets understood they couldn’t keep both centers. It had to be a choice because of the league gravitating towards small lineups and shooting. So the team decided to use per-36 stats. A simple comparison between Player A and Player B, keeping their names anonymous.

When speaking to Michael Porter Jr., Kroenke noted Player B had significantly superior stats. He even rightly guessed Jokic being the better player during the meeting. You would think it was a comparison between their two centers. However, that wasn’t the case.

“Well then we were talking about with player A is this there some sort of comparison with Nurk or is there some sort of comparison with someone else in the league and they’re like Player A is Larry Bird and I was like oh,” he said in his conversation with Porter Jr.

It’s almost symbolic. Bird wasn’t an athletic phenom either. And there is a striking similarity between their jump shots. However, in terms of potential, that’s where the Nuggets found their answer. And for the first time, John Kroenke used his influence to push for Nikola Jokic to be their future center.

“Tim and I wound up on the phone I was like Tim I was like I’m never going to tell anyone who to play any coach what to do but if we’re going to pick one tell them to put Nikola in and we got to roll with it,” he revealed his conversation.

Nikola Jokic started the next game and has since never looked back. The accolades have kept rolling in. He’s a perennial All-Star, a three-time MVP, a Finals MVP, and a bona fide legend of the game. His transcending skill is what sets him apart. But without ample opportunity, the Nuggets may have never witnessed his storming rise to being a one-of-a-kind player.

The lesson is, loyalty is a two-way street. At times, the teams benefit, but sometimes they have to make the tough decisions.