"All brought some type of drama to the table" - Charles Barkley speculates on Nikola Jokic's future in NBA while drawing comparisons with Tim Duncan

NBA legend Charles Barkley compared Nikola Jokic to Tim Duncan and Arvydas Sabonis, as both players epitomize what the star does on and off the court. Jokic has emerged as one of the great NBA players after winning the MVP award back-to-back, and then leading the Denver Nuggets to a championship last season.

One of the biggest compliments a current NBA star can receive is to be compared to some of the all-time greats. There's been a ton of comparisons to stars over the years, from Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant to LeBron James and Magic Johnson.

Recently, Barkley was a guest on "The Bill Simmons Podcast" where he praised the Serbian big man for his talents.

"If you want to compare him to somebody, Sabonis (Arvydas) in his prime..." Barkley said. "I mean, Sabonis is the reason we started sending guys like me to the Olympics.

"He reminds me of Tim Duncan. I thought Tim Duncan was the most, no drama, great player I ever watched in my career. Like, there's a lot of great players, but they all brought some type of drama to the table. Tim Duncan, in my opinion, is the greatest power forward ever, the best player I ever played against was Kevin McHale. But the best power forward I ever saw was Tim Duncan.

"The thing I love about Tim Duncan, when he got past his prime, he didn't give a s**t. He's like, 'oh, it's Ginobili and Parker,' and then came Kawhi Leonard. And that's part of it. I guess the Joker's probably got a lot of more great years when he's going to be arguably the best player in the world."

When it comes to playstyle, Jokic embodies Sabonis, who had a playstyle that was ahead of his time. When it comes to attitude, however, the Big Fundamental is who people see in the five-time All-Star.

You might also be interested in reading this: "There's no chance in hell": 60-year-old Charles Barkley dismisses broadcasting until 70 despite 10-year extension

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Charles Barkley talks about the fallout with Michael Jordan

Charles Barkley was once a close friend of Michael Jordan, but the two had a falling out after the former criticized MJ's moves as an owner. Back then, the former Chicago Bulls superstar was the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets.

The team struggled to make any significant impact and wasn't winning enough due to the moves the front office made. Chuck called him out, and MJ didn't appreciate his criticism.

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"I lost my best friend because I criticized him. Guys can always say about me, 'Charles, you might not like him, but he’s gonna be fair,' because of the situation with Michael. I always said, 'Wait a minute, I criticize other general managers. Just because the guy is my best friend, if I have a double standard, that’s not fair.'"

It's been over ten years, and the two legends haven't had a single moment where they've approached each other.

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