Nikola Jokic is going back to the All-Star game this year, being names an NBA All-Star Starter on Thursday night.
Making his 6th #NBAAllStar appearance… Nikola Jokic of the @nuggets.
Drafted as the 41st pick in 2014 out of Serbia, Jokic is averaging 26.2 PPG, 12.0 RPG and 9.1 APG for the Nuggets this season. pic.twitter.com/HriibaBhsj
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) January 26, 2024
In the Eastern Conference, Joel Embiid will start at center next to Giannis Antetokounmpo (captain), Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, and Damian Lillard.
This will be the sixth straight All-Star appearance of Jokic’s career and fourth straight as a starter. Jokic hasn’t often sought out numbers or highlights in the All-Star game before, but perhaps this season will be different with the NBA returning to a traditional East-West conference format for selecting teams. Before, captains drafted players prior to games, a novelty that quickly wore off for Nuggets fans when LeBron James tried to pick Jokic last among starters last year.
Still, it’s an immense honor to be representing any team in the All-Star game. Jokic is the only player to represent the Nuggets in the All-Star game since Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups over a decade ago. It remains to be seen if Jokic will be joined by any teammates. Aaron Gordon was close last year to receiving the honor for his work during the 2022-23 season but never ultimately got in. Jamal Murray, having a career year by most measurements, is still unlikely to get in due to the competition in the backcourt in the Western Conference.
Most likely, it will just be Jokic, who’s averaging 26.2 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game this season while shooting an impressive 59.0% from the field and 36.2% from three-point range. Jokic leads the NBA with 13 triple-doubles this season. It was a shoo-in that Jokic would be selected following the last three seasons of production with two regular season MVP awards and one Finals MVP award. Jokic is quickly becoming one of the faces of the NBA, and fans love to see him play, making incredible passes and shots on a regular basis.