Sports media race-baiters are already taking Nikola Jokic criticism too far

That said, the coverage is already excessive.

Moments after the Nuggets' loss, former ESPN broadcaster Mark Jones mocked Jokic and celebrated his loss.

Kendrick Perkins' feelings toward Jokic are also well-documented. In 2023, Perkins admitted on ESPN that he and other black players believe Jokic is only an MVP candidate because of alleged favoritism from white voters. Note: The data says NBA MVP voters do not favor white players. Nonetheless, like Jones, Perkins has actively rooted against Jokic as a paid NBA analyst for ESPN.

"We're not in Serbia, we're in America and he got punked yesterday. We have to hold him accountable like we do every 'all time great.' I jumped the gun just like everybody else when it comes to disrespecting all time greats," Perkins said.

"We were so ready to put this man above all time greats because of certain numbers he was putting up in the regular season. He has one NBA championship. Matter of fact, I don't think Jokic is going to win another NBA championship. He got exposed. Jokic has never sniffed an All-Defensive Team as a center. Rudy Gobert outplayed him."

For the record, Perkins failed to bring this level of energy when players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Edwards, and Jayson Tatum came up short in the postseason.

Elsewhere, other commentators played the "what if this were LeBron?" card to argue that Jokic is protected.

Paul Pierce was one of them:

Dan Patrick made the same case.

Pierce and Patrick's remarks are not racially motivated. However, their comparisons to James are weak. They are misleading.

James is arguably the most famous American athlete of the past 20 years. Jokic, despite his greatness, isn't even one of the five most famous NBA players today.

A normal conversation today would revolve around whether Jokic is still the best player in the NBA and whether the Nuggets have surrounded him with enough talent. The answer to the latter question is clearly no. Whether Jokic is still better than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Victor Wembanyama is a real debate.

Instead, the gloating from the race idolaters and the forced LeBron comparisons have hijacked the conversation. But that says more about the state of sports media than it does about Jokic.