Nikola Jokić

For 99 percent of the NBA’s player pool, opposing defenses might consider it a “job well done” if a lockdown defensive stand forces a shot attempt with only a few milliseconds remaining on the 24-second play clock. During Game Five’s crunchtime stretch on May 13, 2025, the Oklahoma City Thunder, unfortunately, found themselves eye-to-eye with a superstar with VIP credentials to that “one percent club.” Author of more than a few improbable, “only-Jokić”-type shots on the postseason scene, the Denver Nuggets’ megastar stumbles into another, first pivoting back towards the floor’s middle with Chet Holmgren tightly attached. Left with no choice but to unleash a 27-foot “Sombor Shuffle”-type shot, Jokić connects, prompting a stunned groan from the Paycom Center crowd. Most Valuable Players rise to the occasion in all-important games, and even in a loss, Jokić did just that, exploding for 44 points (on 17-of-25 shooting), 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and five 3-pointers. It marked just NBA history’s second-ever instance of a player reaching those points-rebounds-assists-triples thresholds in a playoff environment.