Stephen A. Smith is no stranger to shocking takes. Just recently, he griped about the thought of having to go to Denver if the Denver Nuggets were to make the NBA Finals again.
The city of Denver isn’t the only thing Smith isn’t a fan of. The ESPN analyst also feels that Nikola Jokic should not be named the NBA MVP. Smith made an appearance on a Denver area radio show, 104.3 The Fan. Smith initially praised Jokic’s talent.
“He’s the best in the game, he’s the standard. It doesn’t get more complimentary than that,” said Smith.
However, immediately after saying that, he chose Jayson Tatum as his NBA MVP.
Smith has had to do a bit of damage control regarding his feelings towards Jokic and the Nuggets. Just last year, Smith was quoted calling Jokic “a big tub of lard.”
Perhaps Smith has now come to his senses a bit, or is just trying to please Nuggets fans who are upset about his remarks in the past. He did continue his praise of Jokic and the Nuggets on the radio show.
“I’ve never seen anything like it, his [Jokic’s] footwork, his IQ, his skillset, he’s the best in the game. Michael Malone is a great coach and his name needs to come up more often. And I challenge anyone to find a bigger fan of Jamal Murray than me… Murray is great, Jokic is the best in the game, Malone is an elite coach and the organization is first class top to bottom and I think Jokic and Murray are the top tandem in basketball… when they’re both clicking the Nuggets look unbeatable,” Smith said.
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