Nikola Jokic Had LeBron James Laughing With Friendly Trash Talk Ahead of Milestone Night

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić is widely viewed as the current best player in the NBA, a title gifted by fans and analysts that used to be held by Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.

While James may not be viewed as the best player in the league at this stage in his career, he is still one of the NBA’s top players and garners plenty of respect from his peers, including Jokić.

Before a Lakers-Nuggets matchup Saturday in which James entered the night nine points away from reaching 40,000 in his career, Jokić made sure to get in some friendly trash talk as he greeted the Lakers star prior to the opening tip.

“We’re gonna stop you. You’re going [for] eight [points],” Jokić joked.

"We're gonna stop you, you're going 8."

—Jokic telling Bron he won't hit 40K tonight ???? pic.twitter.com/NL24xHv4ia

— ESPN (@espn) March 3, 2024

Of course, James scored his 40,000th-point with 10:39 to play in the second quarter on a driving layup. 

If James wants to win his second NBA title as a member of the Lakers later this summer, he knows that the road to the Finals runs through the defending NBA champion Nuggets.

While James may be 39 years old and nearing the end of his legendary career, there is still plenty of unwritten chapters in the rivalry with Jokić in the Western Conference.