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Apr 29, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) controls the ball under pressure from Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) in the first quarter during game five of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

LeBron James Had Strong Praise for Nikola Jokic’s Dominance

Originally posted on Denver Nuggets on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Nov 28, 2025 5:53 PM ET

It's hard to ignore the type of run that Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic has been on since breaking out into the superstar he's emerged into today

He's become a perennial league MVP candidate having finished top-two in voting for the past five years, has been the leader behind the consistent force in the Western Conference that is the Nuggets, and throughout, has developed into one of the best offensive plauyers the game has ever seen.

Everyone is aware of what Jokic brings to the table, and it seems like every season, he continues to get better and better than he was the year before. This year, he's averaging nearly a 30-point triple-double once again, pairing it with over 12 rebounds and a league-leading 11 assists a night.

It's another unreal start to what's now his 11th regular season campaign, and one that's made enough waves to rattle off a bit of pretty strong discourse around Jokic–– even with the one and only LeBron James diving into the conversation around just how dominant the Nuggets big man is and has been.

And for LeBron, he's in awe of Jokic just like the rest of the world is, going as far as to say the Nuggets big man is the most "dominant and complete" player he's ever matched up against during his 23 years in the league.

“I will say this. There has not been a more dominant, complete player that I’ve played against, in the sense of all the attributes," James said during his latest episode of Mind the Game.

"From the passing, to the shooting, to the rebounding, to the attention. There's nothing he cannot do on the offensive end. Like, nothing at all. Nothing. You try to double him, he's going to make you pay. You try to play him single coverage, he's going to make you pay. He even brings the ball up the floor, they outlet the ball to him."

“There has not been a more dominant, complete player that I’ve played against.”

-LeBron James on Nikola Jokic

Probably the highest praise Jokic has ever gotten. pic.twitter.com/f4XAnlaxFA
— Swipa (@SwipaCam) November 28, 2025

LeBron Calls Jokic the Most Complete Player He's Ever Faced

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

There might not be a more credible stamp of approval than one that comes from the King himself, who at worst, is a near-unanimous top-two player in the history of the NBA, and with over two decades of tenure in the league, has matched up with his fair share of talented offensive, Hall of Fame-level players.

But for what Jokic has shown while playing at such an elite level, it's hard to find someone that can impact the offense like he has.

He's one of the league's most efficient scorers from all levels of the floor, could have a case to be the best playmaker in the NBA, regardless of position, and with his presence on the floor alone, can make those around him look wildly better, finding them in the right spots, or freeing up their ability to score with the attention opposing defenses have to give him.

It's hard to find anyone, let alone any big man, with that set of skills at such a high level throughout the league's history. Which, for LeBron, puts Jokic in a special tier of his own, and a true one-of-one player he's had the chance to face off against through an unparalleled career.