During the Denver Nuggets' 126-115 victory over the Orlando Magic, Nikola Jokic achieved another milestone in his already illustrious career, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the all-time assists leader among centers in NBA history. The three-time MVP now sits at 5,667 career assists, edging past Abdul-Jabbar's 5,660.
When asked if he experienced any joy over the significant accomplishment, Jokic remained characteristically humble.
“In this moment, not a lot because you don't have time to think about it,” said Jokic. “You have two hours to think about it, after that you forget about it.”
Despite reaching a major career accolade, Jokic isn't really feeling much joy over it… 😂 #MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/MGn9cTrTTS
— Rachel Strand (@MileHighRachel) December 19, 2025
Nuggets not taking Nikola Jokic's greatness for granted
While Jokic continues rewriting the record books on a nightly basis, this particular achievement carries extra weight given who he overtook. Abdul-Jabbar is a six-time MVP, a Hall of Fame inductee, and a player who is considered one of the best of all time.
Nuggets head coach David Adelman emphasized the importance of this significant career milestone for Jokic while also making a point to not diminish the legacy of Abdul-Jabbar.
“It's a celebration of both people. It's somebody that completely changed the game with the Sky Hook, the longevity he played. I feel like we, in the modern era, we talk about Tom Brady and all these people. Go look at Kareem,” said Adelman. “The guy changed his name while he played. The guy who played 20-plus years, and to the very end, was impactful on teams that went to the Finals. So for Nikola to pass him, I think, says a lot.”
Adelman also urged fans to appreciate the greatness they're witnessing with Jokic. He stressed that passing someone of Abdul-Jabbar's caliber deserves proper acknowledgment.
“I'll just keep saying, just don't get tired of this, because it's unique,” said Adelman. “And for those of us that love the history of the game, that [record] should be wrote about and talked about, and that should be a national story, because that's passing a guy that you could argue– you just want to go by generations, and not who's the best player of all time, and all the talk talk stuff– Kareem is, he's in the conversation [as one of the best-ever].”
At just 30 years old and already ranked among the top 50 in all-time assists, Jokic continues to cement his legacy as the most skilled passing big man the game has ever seen.
