Inside The Nuggets

Kevin Durant Reveals His All-Time NBA Ranking for Nikola Jokic

The Houston Rockets' star had high praise for Denver Nuggets MVP Nikola Jokic.
Dec 20, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.
Dec 20, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

The Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets have battled it out twice in the past week, and a split gives the Nuggets a 2-1 season series lead with one more game left in March. This matchup between the Nuggets and Rockets has all the makings of a playoff series, and fans have already expressed that they hope these two teams meet again in the postseason.

Whether it be the physicality, trash talk, or the epic battle between two legends, Nikola Jokic and Kevin Durant, the Nuggets and Rockets are always must-see TV. After their last outing, where the Rockets picked up a 14-point win in Houston, Durant had high praise for Jokic, claiming that he is one of the best basketball players he has ever seen.

"One of the top ten players, top five players that I've ever seen play basketball," Durant said about Jokic.

"That's how much respect I got for these dudes... I just love his game. I love how he approaches the game. I feel like a lot of people might disagree with me right now, but I feel like we have a similar mentality with how we approach work, just the game itself. I can sense that from far. So I've always had respect for him. And then you accomplish what you've accomplished in this league, gotta respect that."

Is Jokic a top 5-10 player in recent NBA history?

Jokic has finished in the top two in NBA MVP voting in each of the past five seasons, winning three of them, and could now be on his way to another this season. This is one of the most dominant six-year stretches of basketball the league has ever seen, and while he only has one ring to show for it, this level of consistent production is unmatched.

Durant suggests that Jokic is in the conversation to be a top-ten NBA player of all-time, but is that a fair ranking?

Even at this point in his career, with three MVP awards, the only thing Jokic has left to prove is another championship run. If Jokic is able to lead the Nuggets to another ring, he would have a legitimate case as one of the ten greatest players in league history.

Regardless of where Jokic actually ranks among the NBA legends, this praise from a future Hall of Famer like Durant is certainly notable.

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Logan Struck
LOGAN STRUCK

Logan Struck is a writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's On SI since 2023

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