On a recent episode of The Lowe Post podcast, former NBA coach and analyst Stan Van Gundy delivered one of the boldest takes yet in the ongoing debate about basketball’s greatest players.
In conversation with host Zach Lowe, Van Gundy suggested that Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic might not only be the best offensive player in NBA history, but possibly the best overall player the game has ever seen.
The discussion began with Lowe relaying a thought he had heard from an NBA front office executive during summer league.
“It’s going to sound like heresy,” Lowe said. “I think Jokic might be the best offensive player in the history of the NBA. I think that’s on the table now for me.”
Van Gundy quickly took the idea further, arguing that Jokic’s dominance transcends offense and places him in the conversation as the greatest player of all time.
“Well, he might be the best player in the history of the NBA,” Van Gundy responded. He explained his reasoning by pointing to the evolution of athletes across all sports. “We can probably say that the best 20 basketball players in history have probably played in the last 20 years. Those other guys are great, but if you took them for what they were in their time and dropped them in today’s game, a lot of those guys couldn’t even get in the league. Athletes are getting better. That’s what happens.”
“He might be the best player in the history of the NBA.”
– Stan Van Gundy on Nikola Jokic
(h/t @DNVR_Nuggets )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 26, 2025
Van Gundy emphasized that this perspective is not meant to disparage legends of the past, but rather to acknowledge how the sport has developed. He compared basketball’s progression to track and field or swimming, where times and performances consistently improve over generations. He noted that while Michael Jordan’s legacy remains iconic, his peak moments came three decades ago, and players today have reached new levels of skill and athleticism.
For Van Gundy, LeBron James still holds the title of the greatest career in NBA history, but Jokic’s current level of play is “on another planet.” He even invoked Hall of Famer Bob Cousy as an example of how difficult it is to compare eras.
“You really think we’re dropping Bob Cousy in today’s NBA and he’s dribbling? He’s going to go left dribbling with his right hand. That’s no knock on Bob Cousy. What happened is Bob Cousy was a very creative guy. And someone else learned from him and developed their game better. But you can’t take those guys back then and drop them in today’s game.”
Van Gundy concluded by reiterating his admiration for Jokic’s unique skill set and impact.
“Nobody’s had a better career than LeBron in the league. And Jokic is on another planet. If I had to take one guy in history right now, not just in today, I’m taking Jokic.”
The comments add fuel to the ongoing debate about the greatest player of all time, a conversation that has long centered on Jordan and LeBron. With Jokic continuing to redefine what a center can do, combining elite scoring, passing, and rebounding, Van Gundy’s remarks reflect a growing sentiment that the Serbian star may be carving out a place at the very top of basketball history.
