Nikola Jokic said that Victor Wembanyama is changing the game of basketball and he is happy he will not be there to experience his prime.

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) battle for position during an inbound pass in the second half at Frost Bank Center.

The Denver Nuggets have the best player in the NBA right now in Nikola Jokic.

He has incredible talent and has been a triple-double machine in the NBA. He is not the most athletic, but he has shown he is extremely skillful on offense, and that has been a big difference-maker, which is why he has won three MVP awards.

However, another big man could overshadow him in the near future: Victor Wembanyama.

Wembanyama is in his third season in the NBA and has been dominant, showing how much he has grown as a player. He is only going to get better, and Jokic said that he was relieved that he would not be there to experience his prime. Jokic is the best player in basketball today, but he said Wembanyama is changing basketball and bluntly said that he is happy he won’t be there to experience the best of his career.
“He is changing basketball. He’s a rim protector, he’s shooting threes. He is unique. I’m glad that I’ll probably retire before Wemby holds the entire league in a chokehold,” Jokic said in his appearance on X&O’s Chat, a Serbian basketball podcast hosted by Edin Avdic.

Wembanyama has taken a significant leap this 2025-26 season along with the San Antonio Spurs. Despite injury issues to start the year, he is now averaging 23.9 points in over 50 percent shooting with 11.1 boards, 2.9 assists, and a league-leading 3.0 blocks per game.

The combination of Wembanyama’s defensive mastery, scoring ability, and overall unicorn brilliance has propelled the Spurs into NBA contention. They are currently one of the top favorites to win it all as the No. 2 seed in the West, sitting with a 47-17 record.

It is also worth noting that Wembanyama has broken the mold of what NBA players are seen as in the regular season by giving it his all every night he plays. He was emotional after a big comeback a few nights ago against the Clippers, which was refreshing for many fans after so much talk about how NBA players no longer care about the regular season.