Inside The Nuggets

4x NBA All-Star Makes Wild Nikola Jokic Statement

Four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins had quite the hot take regarding Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic in his latest podcast appearance
Will Despart|
May 11, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) reacts towards referee Sean Wright (4) after a play in the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder during game four of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
May 11, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) reacts towards referee Sean Wright (4) after a play in the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder during game four of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

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Nikola Jokic may be widely considered the NBA's best player, but retired four-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins still believes the three-time NBA MVP falls short of superstar status, a statement that would catch most basketball fans by surprise.

In his most recent appearance on FanDuel TV's "Run It Back," Cousins claimed that Jokic isn't marketable enough to be deemed one of the league's premier stars. He also explained what he believes constitutes superstardom in today's NBA.

"As great as Jokic is, you can't sell him," Cousins said. "You can't market him because he's not this great personality. And this is by choice. I had the opportunity to be teammates with him. He doesn't care about the spotlight. He doesn't want to be that type of guy."

"Then you have guys like Anthony Edwards, everything he says is gold. Obviously, charisma matters. I think it's a combination of all of those things," Cousins added. With no social media presence, it's hard for Jokic to be deemed a face of the league if he's never putting any spotlight on himself.

"What qualifies a player as a superstar?" Cousins said. "Obviously, the on-court performance, that's the No. 1 thing. Are you marketable? Can the league push you? Can the league sell you? Do people like you? Once you start having that global impact, obviously, you go into that superstar status."

Superstardom conversations have been especially prevalent throughout this postseason, mainly because the NBA is welcoming what is essentially a brand-new crop of rising talent to the Conference and NBA Finals. However, most reasonable basketball minds have considered Jokic a superstar as early as the 2018-19 season.

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Will Despart
WILL DESPART

Will Despart is a Las Vegas-based sportswriter who covers the NBA for OnSI. He also writes for Ballislife and handles multiple beats for The Sporting Tribune, including the Las Vegas Aces and Las Vegas Raiders. His reporting has been featured in newspapers across the country through the Field Level Media news wire.

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