Two-Time MVP Nikola Jokic Gives Props To Old-School Star Peja Stojakovic
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is once again enjoying the NBA All-Star weekend media circuit.
There was one question during media availability that had ties to the Back In The Day era. Jokic was asked about which player from the past would he love to have been teammates with.
His response was former Sacramento Kings swingman Peja Stojakovic.
"I'm gonna say Peja Stojakovic in today's game would be really good," Jokic said. "He was an All-Star even when he played but I think today's NBA he would be amazing."
Stojakovic, who is Serbian like Jokic, was chosen with the No. 14 pick by the Kings in the 1996 draft. He needed a few years to develop but became an NBA All-Star from 2002-04.
His best years were with the Kings when they competed with the Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference playoffs. They met three times from 2000-02, with the Lakers winning every series.
The Kings had a chance to interrupt the Lakers' three-peat dynasty but lost a controversial Game 6 in the 2002 conference finals. The Lakers then won Game 7 to advance to the NBA Finals.
Stojakovic, who later won a title with the Dallas Mavericks against the LeBron James-led Miami Heat in 2011, averaged 17 points in his 13-year career.
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com