Even the most unlikely to fall has finally fallen.

The biggest news in the NBA today is that Jokic got injured. This is quite a rare event; from what I recall, Jokic seldom gets hurt, and even when he does, it’s usually minor—missing just a game or two before returning. However, this time, Jokic might be sidelined for a long period.

During the Nuggets vs. Heat game, at the end of the first half, Jones stepped backward, and Jokic sensed Jones’s foot coming toward him. Jokic lifted his foot early and stepped back, but Jones’s foot landed exactly on Jokic’s foot. The momentum caused Jokic’s knee to stretch unnaturally, transitioning from bent to fully extended, and Jokic immediately went down.

Jokic clenched his right hand tightly while holding his knee with his left. This scene made Nuggets fans’ hearts skip a beat. When staff helped Jokic up, his left leg could no longer bear weight, and he hobbled back to the locker room holding onto the railing. The situation looked grim.

Before the injury, Jokic played 19 minutes and 21 seconds in the first half, shooting 9 of 14 and scoring 21 points with 5 rebounds and 8 assists. He led the team to a comeback in the second quarter. The Heat had lost 11 straight games against the Nuggets, but after Jokic’s injury, that streak ended as the Heat won by 24 points in the second half.

Nuggets head coach Adelman said, “Jokic immediately felt something was wrong. Any injury is heartbreaking, especially for a player as unique as him.” Some medical experts suggest the best-case scenario is an overstretched knee, similar to Cameron Johnson’s injury a few days ago, requiring 4-6 weeks off; the worst case is an ACL tear, meaning goodbye to next season.

We all know the Nuggets are like two different teams with or without Jokic. With him, they are championship contenders; without him, even making the playoffs is tough. The reason the Nuggets have remained highly competitive over the years is because Jokic has always been there.

In 2021 and 2022, the Nuggets went through one and a half seasons without Murray and long periods without Porter, yet Jokic won back-to-back MVPs. In 2023, with the full roster back, Jokic lost the MVP to Embiid but led the Nuggets to a championship. In 2024, Murray was again inconsistent, but Jokic secured the MVP once more.

Over the years, Jokic has never suffered a major injury. The most games he missed in a single season was 13, which included rest days during the championship run. This season, Jokic has played all 32 games so far, averaging 35.1 minutes per game—less than last season but still the second-highest in his career.

In everyone’s mind, Jokic was almost invincible. Because he doesn’t jump high, he’s not prone to being stepped on; and with his sturdy build, his body is well protected. But who would have thought that a teammate’s step would bring him down? Only now do fans realize Jokic’s high availability is not something to take for granted.

Jokic will undergo a comprehensive examination tomorrow, and the results will determine the Nuggets’ fate this season. It will also, to some extent, decide the MVP race, as no one else poses a real threat to Alexander. Before the injury, Jokic had held the top spot on the MVP leaderboard for a long time.

This season has been plagued by bad luck for the Nuggets. Early in the season, Gordon and Braun got injured but are now close to returning. Then Cameron Johnson and Jokic got hurt, so the new starting lineup has barely played together. Murray’s ankle has also been problematic. If Jokic misses only about a month, the Nuggets might rest other key players as well, accepting a temporary drop in performance with hopes to catch up later.

Before the injury, Jokic ranked fifth in scoring, and first in rebounds and assists per game. He led the league in inside scoring, second-chance points, double-doubles, and triple-doubles. He was on track for another legendary season but now faces a shadow cast by injury.

We hope Jokic avoids a serious injury. The Nuggets need him, the fans need him, and the basketball world needs this era’s greatest player.