If you ask someone who the best player in the league was this year, they might respond with the MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander; but if you ask somebody who’s been the best player in the league for the past few years, Nikola Jokić is an obvious name, thanks to his remarkable consistency. Be it scoring, rebounding, or assisting, the “Joker” is the phenomenon of the Denver Nuggets.
However, how did he end up being called the Joker? It’s become a mystery to most people, and the name has been stuck for a long time now. Paul George, creator of the show “Podcast P with Paul George,” had a special guest who spilled the beans. The person behind the name was Mike Miller, a two-time NBA champion.
2x NBA Champion Discusses Nikola Jokić’s Nickname Roots
In the podcast, Miller discussed his career, basketball achievements, and the origin of his Joker moniker. After winning the championship with the Miami Heat, Miller took his talents to the Denver Nuggets in 2015. He spent two seasons in Denver and ultimately retired after a glittering career.
He was 35, and the Joker was 20 at the time. Miller saw his talent and gave him the nickname. He stated, “I gave him the nickname ‘The Joker’ because I couldn’t say, ‘Jokić pass the f****** ball.’ So I said, ‘Joker, pass the ball.’”
“I gave him the nickname ‘The Joker’ because I couldn’t say, ‘Jokic past the f*cking ball.’ So I said, ‘Joker pass the ball.'”
Mike Miller on how he came up with the nickname for former Nuggets teammate Nikola Jokic 🃏
(via @PodcastPShow)pic.twitter.com/2mjzOEVmfi
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 3, 2025
Imagine Miller telling Joker to pass the ball. When he arrived at the Nuggets’ setup, he averaged 2.4 assists in his first season. Later, he raised his numbers to 4.9 assists, with Miller’s comments probably having a snowball effect in the coming years. Right now, there are hardly any point guards who can match Jokić’s passing ability.
“His personality and the way he plays — it’s like a joker. Like every time I saw him, like man, that’s a joke, man, that’s a joke. And I couldn’t literally say Jokić fast enough to pass it. So, the Joker was it,” mentioned Miller.
George responded perfectly: “And the name lives on!”
“I should have trademarked that. I wasn’t on my business acumen at that time. I should have trademarked him,” joked Miller after discussing Jokić’s nickname. It’s logical to speculate how Miller could have influenced him to pass the ball often, as he became the greatest passing center the league’s ever seen.
In the 10 seasons he has ruled the court, the seven-time NBA All-Star has the most assists for a center in the history of the NBA, second only to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Therefore, Jokić is not playing around. He wants more NBA titles and to create several NBA records at the end of his career.
But frankly, he seemingly does not care about basketball like he cares about his horses. That sums up Jokić, who quietly goes about his business setting records rather than chasing them.
