NBA Champion Calls Out Nikola Jokic for Flopping

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The Denver Nuggets are now expected to be without three-time MVP Nikola Jokic for at least the next four weeks with a hyperextended knee, but the superstar center is already getting disrespected at the beginning of his absence.
After Miami Heat star center Bam Adebayo said he loves competing with Jokic because he does not flop or foul bait, former Golden State Warriors champion Nick Young rebutted that statement.
On Tuesday's episode of Gil's Arena, "Swaggy P" claimed that Jokic flops just as much as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic, but is not nearly as criticized for it.
"You can’t touch Joker. As much as we talk about Shai and all that flopping, Joker flails and throws his arms more than anybody in the league," Young said. "He flails and they give him everything... He gets everything he wants. We don't talk about that. We talk about everything else. We talk about SGA, Luka, they all do the same thing, them three. I never hear nobody say anything bad about Joker."
Nick Young says Jokic flops just like SGA and Luka but nobody says anything 👀
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) December 30, 2025
“You can’t touch Joker. As much as we talk about Shai and all that flopping, Joker does it more than anybody in the league… He gets everything he wants. We talk about SGA, Luka, they all do the same… pic.twitter.com/z7AnFHtupw
Does Jokic flop like SGA and Luka?
It is challenging to compare players like Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic to Jokic, as whenever the Nuggets superstar "flops," it is actually him selling contact. Most of what the two other stars are criticized for, especially Gilgeous-Alexander, is foul baiting, which is intentionally drawing contact rather than just selling actual contact.
Any NBA star will sell contact whenever it occurs, which is what Jokic does, but he certainly does not go out of his way to seek foul calls.

"He's one of those guys who don't really flop, and I truly respect that," Heat star Bam Adebayo said about Jokic on Monday night. Who would be the best source for this opinion? The three-time All-Star and five-time All-Defensive center who just faced Jokic on Monday, or the retired guard who last played against Jokic in 2018?
Young is right about Jokic not catching much flak, though, as the three-time MVP rarely gets criticized by the media. Why is that? Because Jokic is always so dominant. Jokic has cemented himself as the best player in the world, and he has done so without controversy.
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Logan Struck is a writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's On SI since 2023
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