One of the NBA greats and a future legend were recently named in the same sentence – LeBron James and Nikola Jokic. Though some already consider the Joker to be up there, the Serbian’s consecutive Championship dream was hard-stopped by Ant-Man. But whatever the Nuggets center has achieved in such a short amount of time is unbelievable, considering his nation is also a strong contender for Gold alongside Team USA in Paris. So, what is it that separates LeBron James and Nikola Jokic from the rest of the league?

LeBron’s ex-Lakers mate Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has the answer for you. He shed light on the matter on ‘The Draymond Green Show‘, as he has played with both Joker and Bron. “Like them two guys, man, they demand attention as soon as they check the ball in.” Sharing the importance of the duo, KCP added how they impact the game, “I knew them guys was gonna have so much attention on them you know, and I was either get a wide open shot or we create a wide open shot.”

“Now defense got to move somebody’s open, they either doubling them two guys and what made it so much easier.” Nonetheless, Caldwell-Pope further weighed on LeBron and Joker‘s on-court presence, adding, “I don’t see a difference between the two; their IQ is f**king out of this world. They can play joking, they can shoot both in the play, they got it that all-around game.”

KCP reflected how LeBron James and Nikola Jokic made his “career better” as they were “willing to pass the ball” when he was open and sometimes create the space while KCP just had to get “ready to shoot.” Such an impact on his life compelled him to call LeBron-Jokic his “brothers“ without any speck of doubt. Even though the Serbian is 29 and has a long way to go in his career, King James is still dominating the court with his on-court maneuvers at 39 for Team USA on the biggest stage.

LeBron James: The torchbearer who pushed Team USA through pre-Olympic difficulties

The 2x Olympic gold medalist LeBron James is on his way to a third at the Paris Olympics, and the flame in his heart for basketball is still very much lit up. It is quite evident from the slam dunks and alley-oops that the aging Laker pulled off at the exhibition games, denying his age. In the last game against Germany, the late three-pointer that King James delivered ensured the victory for Team USA moving ahead. What’s worth noting is that Hoopers’ biggest 2023 nightmare had the lead going into the fourth quarter.

Still, LeBron James used his clutch instincts to snatch the game away from them in the last stretch of the fourth quarter. Even Stephen Curry agreed, “Bron has been taking over in the fourth quarter, giving us a huge bump, but we haven’t played our best offensive game yet.” So far, troubled by the potential combinations and rotations, the community hopes that Team USA and Coach Kerr seem to have figured out what sits well with the team. After all, two genius basketball minds, LeBron James and Nikola Jokic, will clash on July 28, and Team USA needs its best form to tackle the elite defense of the Serbian team, including the 3x NBA MVP.

Whether Kevin Durant is able to make a comeback from this lingering injury issue in time, remains to be seen, however, the 39-year-old alongside the likes of Anthony Davis and Stephen Curry’s aid on the hardwood won’t be stopping anytime soon.