Sports media race-baiters are already taking Nikola Jokic criticism too far
Nikola Jokic faced criticism after the Denver Nuggets were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the NBA playoffs, despite his solid statistical performance. Some media figures, including Mark Jones and Kendrick Perkins, have been vocal in their critiques, with underlying racial overtones in their commentary. The article argues that the backlash against Jokic is excessive and influenced by racial bias in sports media.
- ▪Nikola Jokic averaged 25.8 points per game on 44.6% shooting in the playoffs, which the article argues is not poor performance for a player of his caliber.
- ▪Mark Jones and Kendrick Perkins, both former NBA players and analysts, have publicly criticized and celebrated Jokic's playoff shortcomings.
- ▪Perkins has suggested that Jokic received MVP consideration due to favoritism from white voters, a claim the article disputes with data.
- ▪The article highlights that Jones and Perkins have a pattern of rooting against Jokic and Luka Doncic, unlike other top NBA stars.
- ▪Rudy Gobert was cited by Perkins as having outperformed Jokic in the series, particularly on defense.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
OutKick Sports media race-baiters are already taking Nikola Jokic criticism too far Paul Pierce and Dan Patrick argued Jokic would face more heat if he were LeBron, but the logic is flawed By Bobby Burack OutKick Published May 1, 2026 4:35pm EDT Facebook Twitter Threads Flipboard Comments Print Email Add Fox News on Google close Video The NBA Sucks So Much That We Can't Appreciate Some Of The Greatest Players Ever | The Ricky Cobb Show As stars like Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama continue to soar, the product of the NBA continues to get worse. The product is so bad that we're not watching, and we can't appreciate some of the greatest players ever. Nikola Jokic deserves criticism for not playing better in the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Timberwolves.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at OutKick.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from OutKick
