NBA All-Stars Vote Nikola Jokic as Best Player in the League

Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic has gotten plenty of attention from NBA media and has three MVP awards in the last five years to show for it. It is hard to argue against Jokic as the best basketball player in the world, but what do his peers think?

The Athletic's Joe Vardon polled a handful of players at All-Star weekend in Los Angeles, and for the "Who is the NBA's best player right now?" question, the answer was clear.

Jokic came out on top of the poll with five votes, while reigning MVP and OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was second with three votes. Luka Doncic and Donovan Mitchell each raked in two votes, while six other players finished with one vote.

NBA All-Stars give Jokic his flowers

Team World center Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets — Feb 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Team World center Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets looks on before game 1 during the 75th NBA All Star Game at Intuit Dome. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

A couple of NBA All-Stars gave their reasoning as to why they voted for Jokic as the best player in the NBA.

“All-around, I’d have to say Nikola Jokić,” Miami Heat All-Star Norman Powell told Vardon. “I mean, all-around game, what he’s able to do, what he means for that team, the numbers he’s able to put up and how effortless he’s able to make it.”

While it is unclear who all five of Jokic's voters were, we know Powell and Atlanta Hawks star forward Jalen Johnson contributed two of them.

“He’s been dominant for so long and what he does on a nightly basis is pretty impressive,” Johnson said.

Vardon reveals that Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell made the list because he voted for himself, and he got another vote from teammate Jaylon Tyson. Sure, this poll is flawed, but it seems like Jokic got his votes naturally.

In NBA history, only one player has reached all of the following marks before the All-Star break in a season:

1000 points
475 rebounds
400 assists
250 free throws made
75 threes made
30 blocks

That one player is the @nuggets' Nikola Jokić this year.

He missed 16 games. pic.twitter.com/xLbtZLOvJc
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) February 12, 2026

Is Jokic the best player in the NBA?

While this poll was a very small sample size, Jokic is typically regarded as the best player in the NBA. This season, Jokic's argument has taken a hit after missing a month due to a knee injury, but he is still putting together a historic campaign. The three-time MVP is averaging 28.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, 10.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, while shooting 59% from the field, 42% from three-point range, and 84% from the charity stripe.

Jokic has been incredible this season, and while he might not be taking home his fourth MVP trophy, it is still hard to say he is not the best player in the NBA.

Of course, Gilgeous-Alexander has a very strong case for the title, especially since he is on the verge of winning his second straight MVP, barring a late-season surge by Jokic, and he is coming off a championship. Still, though, what Jokic has done for six seasons straight is remarkable.

As long as he stays eligible for the award, which he can miss one more game before losing eligibility, Jokic is set to become the first player in NBA history to finish in the top two of MVP voting for six consecutive seasons. Of course, when he goes on a historic streak like this, he will get some well-deserved respect from his peers.