Nikola Jokic, Nuggets agree to the biggest contract in NBA history

Day 1 in the NBA Free Agency is underway, and the league has already witnessed the largest contract in its history.

Serbian Nikola Jokic, who has been trying to demonstrate to the league that he belongs in the conversation of the NBA’s best players, just got a best-player-in-the-league contract with the Denver Nuggets.

According to Shams Charania, the two-time NBA MVP agreed to a contract extension that will pay him $264 million over five years. For the fifth season, Jokic has a player option of $60 million.

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Nikola Jokic stats

While this could be a surprise to some players across the league, the 27-year-old is deserving of the contract and the gesture that comes with it. He has won MVP in two consecutive seasons, showing remarkable plays in Denver.

In the 2020-21 season, Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game, and last season, he amped up these numbers to 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game.

Jokic’s role with the Nuggets

Not only did Jokic put up these outstanding numbers in the last two years, but he’s also played a huge role keeping the Nuggets on the map this past season. Missing two of the team’s best players, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr for almost all season, Jokic visibly dragged Denver into the postseason, as the sixth team in the Western Conference.

Murray was recovering from a torn ACL he suffered the season prior, and was unavailable throughout the season, while Porter Jr was only available for nine games. That’s a big job for a power forward playing without the team’s best shooting guard and small forward.

Now Jokic officially enters the conversation of the best top players in the league as he continues to try to lead Denver to their unprecedented NBA title.