Nikola Jokic has celebrated his coming out throughout the last few years.

The superstar center for the Denver Nuggets was chosen the NBA’s regular-season MVP during the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons, but many people still questioned if he was the best player in the league.

But he truly came into his own this past year, guiding the Nuggets to the NBA Finals MVP award and nearly averaging a triple-double in the regular season.

Now Jokic can add another honor to his resume, as he has won the ESPY for Best NBA Player, via NBA on ESPN.

In the NBA, it is rare to see players who weren’t first-round draft picks become stars, but Jokic hasn’t just done that — he has become arguably the best in the game despite being the No. 41 pick in the 2014 draft.

Back then, people thought he was slow and couldn’t jump and that he wouldn’t amount to much.

But after putting in a lot of work, the Serbian native looks to have married Larry Bird’s outside shooting and passing skills with Moses Malone’s unyielding post presence and rebounding skills.

After just scoring 10 points per game on average as a rookie, Jokic has made the All-Star team each of the previous five seasons. At age 28, he still has a lot of success ahead of him.

Given that important teammates like Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and Aaron Gordon are all young and look hungry for more, many observers believe the Nuggets have dynastic potential.