In 2015, when Mike Miller joined the Denver Nuggets, the rookie Nikola Jokic took all his attention.
At first glance, he reacted surprisingly, stating, “I don’t know who that fat ugly kid is over there, but he’s your best player and it’s not even close” to head coach Michael Malone. It was a brutally honest and unfiltered comment that stunned the Nuggets lineup.
” Like, his body wasn’t great. You know, he’s not, if you look at his old combine stuff or hoop summit stuff, it’s like, I don’t jump high,” he added.
Mike Miller told Mike Malone and the Kroenke family his first impression of Nikola Jokic 💀
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) May 18, 2025
“I don’t know who that fat ugly kid is over there, but he’s your best player and it’s not even close.”
(Via @PardonMyTake, h/t @MrBuckBuckNBA)pic.twitter.com/zWosQdHWZn
But Miller, the two-time NBA champion, had already spotted that Jokic was an incredibly talented player. Miler said Jokic moved like he was in “The Matrix“ with the ability to slow things down and control everything.
Back then, Jokic was just a young, unknown player from Serbia who was not very athletic-looking. Now, he has won the MVP award three times and an NBA championship. Miller’s early belief in him wasn’t about how he looked or how athletic he was, but how he played smartly with his exceptional skills. The Nuggets trusted Miller’s opinion, and the rest is history.
Kendrick Perkins Backs Off From His Bold Statement On Nikola Jokic
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NBA stories via Google! Follow Us
Kendrick Perkins caused a lot of online arguments with a bold statement. He claimed that Jokic didn’t want to play against him when they were both in their prime, stating, “Jokic wouldn’t have wanted this smoke.”
Kendrick Perkins thinks he would’ve slowed down Nikola Jokic
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 17, 2025
“Jokic wouldn’t have wanted this smoke. Kobe said I was the best post defender on the league.”
(h/t @nikolaesthetic / @Fullcourtpass )
pic.twitter.com/otSXPjny7N
During a segment on ESPN with Malika Andrews and Bob Myres, Perkins even said, “Kobe said I was the best post defender in the league. Kobe Bryant, yeah…”
After the clip went viral, Perkins quickly backed off, writing on X, “Jesus Christ. I was joking around with Bob and Malika, people.” This clarification was crucial in preventing his prediction from becoming a legendary bad call.
Also Read: Nikola Jokic Appears To Take A Shot At Poor Officiating In Nuggets-Thunder Game 6
