In a league defined by hyperbole, where “greatest of all time” is tossed around with casual frequency, true, unvarnished astonishment from an established legend is a rare commodity. Yet, a recent conversation featuring LeBron James—himself a permanent fixture in the pantheon of NBA dominance—has rocked the professional basketball world, delivering a declaration so profound and surprising that it fundamentally shifts the discourse around contemporary greatness.

James, speaking with a palpable sense of awe and a slight edge of disbelief, offered a staggering assessment of Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. He didn’t just call Jokic great; he declared him the “most dominant complete player” he has ever played against in his entire career.

This statement is not merely praise; it is a monumental historical acknowledgment. For a player who has battled titans across two decades—including generational talents like Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, and an entire era of Hall of Fame rivals—to single out Jokic with such definitive language is to place the Serbian superstar on a pedestal higher than almost any other contemporary. James’s words frame Jokic’s current run not just as exceptional, but as a statistical and stylistic anomaly that demands immediate attention from every true fan of the game.

The Statistical Impossibility

The foundation of James’s astonishment lies in the numbers, which he himself cited with a mixture of reverence and shock. Referencing Jokic’s recent performance, James pointed to a shooting efficiency that defies logic for any player, let alone a 7-foot center.

“This goddamn Joker guy, man,” James began, his voice laced with emotion. “What, he’s shooting like, did they say, in like the last five or six games, he’s shooting like 77% from the field? Yeah, I mean this season in three weeks, I think he’s at 67% from the field. Oh my good.”

Seventy-seven percent from the field over a five- or six-game stretch is a statistical miracle, but maintaining 67% over multiple weeks speaks to an efficiency that shreds conventional metrics. What makes this figure truly mind-bending, as James swiftly noted, is the nature of the shots Jokic is taking.

“And by the way, this is not like one of those guys back in the day like all dunks, you know, or all layups. No, this is this is everything. All three, all three levels, all three levels,” James emphasized.

This distinction is crucial. Dominant centers of the past often achieved high percentages through proximity to the rim. Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal—their dominance was built on sheer gravitational force and an ability to power through defenses for dunks and point-blank shots. Jokic’s dominance, however, is woven from a different, far more complex fabric. It incorporates the precision of a mid-range assassin, the deep-range threat of a sharpshooter, and the post-up savvy of a classic big man, all combined with effortless layups. To shoot at a near 70% clip while engaging the defense across all three scoring territories is a testament to an unprecedented blend of skill and shot selection.

The Totality of the Game: A Center’s Offensive Singularity

James’s ultimate conclusion about Jokic transcended mere scoring prowess. When asked if Jokic was the best offensive player he had ever played against, James broadened his answer, focusing on the sheer totality of Jokic’s impact—a word that succinctly encapsulates the complexity of the reigning MVP’s game.

“Wow, that’s a tough question right there… when you think about the totality of what he does: the pressure he puts on the defense, the assists, the playmaking, the initiating the offense, the threes, the mid-range, the putting people in the basket, like it’s a lot of stuff,” James mused.

His analysis led to the defining quote: “I will say this, there has not been a more dominant complete player that I’ve played against in a sense of all the attributes that you just mentioned from the passing to the shooting to the rebounding to the attention… I mean there’s nothing he cannot do on the offensive end. Like, nothing at all.”

In this single paragraph, James outlined the essence of Jokic’s revolutionary role:

Defensive Pressure: His threat from anywhere on the court dictates defensive schemes, bending and often breaking them before the play even develops.

Playmaking and Initiating: He is, functionally, the Denver Nuggets’ primary point guard.

The Unstoppable Force: He handles every defensive look thrown at him. “You try to double him, he going he going to make you pay. You try to play him single coverage, he’s going to make you pay.” This duality—the ability to punish a double-team with pinpoint passing or punish single-coverage with efficient scoring—makes him an unsolvable riddle.

The “Weird” and Unprecedented Playmaking Center

The most evocative detail James shared was not about scoring, but about the unique and almost baffling way Jokic operates in transition. He described a scenario that challenges decades of conventional basketball wisdom: a point guard grabbing a defensive rebound and immediately outletting the ball to their center, who then pushes the fast break.

“You sometimes he even brings the ball up the floor. They outlet the ball to him. There’s, can we—I don’t know off the top of my head—there’s been a couple, but guys that a point guard will rebound the ball and outlet it to their center to push the break. That’s that’s that’s weird in a sense, that’s already weird,” James exclaimed.

In the NBA, the center is traditionally the anchor, the last man down the court, setting screens and cleaning up rebounds. The point guard is the engine, the ball-handler responsible for navigating the open floor. Jokic inverts this hierarchy. His court vision and handling skills are so exceptional that coaches entrust him with the ball in the most vulnerable situation: transition. This ‘weirdness’ is, in James’s estimation, proof of his transcendent talent, a skill so unique that people “barely talk about it” because it’s somehow already viewed as “normal.”

But James was adamant: “It’s just normal, like it’s normal. This sh*t is not normal. It’s not normal what he’s doing, guys, I’m sorry, it’s not, it’s not, it’s not normal.”

The Historical Weight of LeBron’s Testimony

The weight of this endorsement cannot be overstated. LeBron James is not just an observer; he is arguably the most dominant small forward in basketball history. His own career has been a masterclass in total-package dominance, defined by scoring efficiency, elite playmaking, and game-altering strength. When a player of James’s caliber, who understands the demands of absolute control better than almost anyone, uses the word “dominant” to describe a peer, it carries the force of historical consensus.

It forces a re-evaluation of how we measure NBA greatness. For decades, the measure of a player James’s size was often rooted in athleticism, leaping ability, and speed. For a center, it was size, strength, and verticality. Jokic, the antithesis of the typical athletic marvel, achieves his dominance through intelligence, touch, technique, and vision. He’s a chess grandmaster playing speed chess, always three moves ahead of the defense.

James’s declaration is a recognition that Jokic has created a new category of player—the offensive singularity—who simply cannot be neutralized by conventional means. He transcends positional labels and forces his own definition of success onto the game. To be declared the most dominant complete player by James means Jokic surpasses the offensive complexity of Durant, the sheer scoring volume of Kobe, the physical terror of Shaq, and the cerebral playmaking of Magic Johnson, all in a single, 7-foot body. It’s a statement that Jokic’s combination of skills is simply unparalleled in the history of opponents James has faced.

A Call for All True Fans to ‘Tune In’

James’s final words were not just an analysis; they were an impassioned plea to the fan base, urging them to recognize the singular moment in time they are witnessing. His role shifted from peer-competitor to fellow lover of the game, demanding that others appreciate the art being displayed.

“I mean as a true basketball fan, as a true, you know, I love the game and and and everything that comes with it,” James said, his voice rising in sincerity. “I mean and if people sit here and say they love the game and they love watching greatness, then tune in. Tune in. Tune in to a Nuggets [game].”

This is a stark reminder that even in the age of endless content and instant analysis, there is no substitute for experiencing true, generational greatness live. James recognizes that what Jokic is doing is not a fleeting hot streak, but an established pattern of offensive mastery that is setting new benchmarks for the sport.

The fact that LeBron James—a man who has spent 20+ years setting the standard for dominance—is urging fans to stop what they are doing and watch another player is the highest possible form of validation. It is a moment where an icon acknowledges the creation of a new, perhaps superior, blueprint for winning in the NBA. The era of Nikola Jokic is now, and as LeBron James has emphatically stated, its complexity, its efficiency, and its completeness are unlike anything the league has ever seen. It’s a level of basketball so good, it’s “not normal.” And that is exactly why we should all be tuning in.