Shaq awards title belt to Nikola Jokic amid historic stretch

Following his 19th triple-double of the season, Jokic basked in the praise of Shaquille O'Neal, the self-proclaimed President of the Big Man Alliance. On "Inside the NBA" on TNT, Shaq awarded Jokic a custom-built title belt to crown the Nuggets star as the most dominant big and the best player in the NBA. 

"You're the best big man in the league — by far. I appreciate you," O'Neal told Jokic while promising to FedEx the title belt to the three-time MVP. 

"I love it," Jokic responded while thanking his fellow big man.

Jokic finished with 27 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals in just 30 minutes as the Nuggets won their third consecutive game and eighth in the last 10. Denver (27-16) now trails Memphis (28-15) by just a game for the third seed in the Western Conference.  

It's rather remarkable that Jokic is averaging career-highs in points (30.1), assists (9.9), steals (1.9), 3P% (47.5) and 3PM (2.1) despite being a former three-time MVP. The significant upticks in his production mean he's on pace to become the first player since 1969-70 to rank top-three in points, rebounds and assists. He's also on the verge of becoming the first center to average a 30-point triple-double for a season. 

As of Wednesday, Jokic ranks top five in seven different categories.

While he remains embroiled in a tight race for the MVP award with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jayson Tatum, Jokic's scorching run since the start of 2025 may secure his fourth Michael Jordan Trophy.