Before the All-Star Game, Larry Bird pays the ultimate compliment to Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets.

Before the All-Star Game, Larry Bird pays the ultimate compliment to Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets.

Several current and former basketball luminaries have taken an interest in Jokic over the course of the last two seasons, which have included two MVP awards, a championship, and a Finals MVP award. Among them is former Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird.

“I would be thrilled to face [Nikola Jokic].” He’s really fantastic, man. Golden State was a lot of fun to watch when they were healthy. Now I’ve moved to Denver,” Bird stated on NBA TV (via X’s @ohnohedidnt24, a social media account that was once known as Twitter

).

It would have been amazing to watch a game between two of the most inventive players to ever tread on the court: Nikola Jokic and Larry Bird. They both pass the ball in very creative ways, see angles, and execute passes that are just very hard to believe in real time.Over the last two seasons for Jokic, which have included two MVPs, a championship, and a Finals MVP, the big man has caught the attention of several both current and former legends of the game, one of whom is former Boston Celtics icon Larry Bird.

“I would love to play against [Nikola Jokic]. Man, is he good… When Golden State was healthy, they were really fun to watch. Now I switched over to Denver,” said Bird on NBA TV (via @ohnohedidnt24 on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter).

When the MVP award is given out at the end of the season, Jokic is almost certainly going to be in the lead. As it stands, Denver is stuck in a four-team tie for the top overall seed in the coveted Western Conference playoff picture.

It would have been amazing to watch a game between two of the most inventive players to ever tread on the court: Nikola Jokic and Larry Bird. They both pass the ball in very creative ways, see angles, and execute passes that are just very hard to believe in real time.