Denver Nuggets’ lead scorer Nikola Jokic is surely among the leading contenders to become the next face of the NBA. Within a 9-year career in the league, the player has secured a Championship ring, a Finals MVP title, three MVP titles, and numerous accolades to his name. His popularity has even allowed him to go outside the confines of a basketball court to star in various commercials and even partner up with brands like 361. Despite all of this, Gilbert Arenas believes that ‘The Joker’, in his opinion, has not quite reached ‘superstar’ status. Interestingly, he granted the same status to the likes of Stephen Curry and Caitlin Clark.

A few hours ago, the Golden State Warriors veteran released another episode of his ‘Gil’s Arena’ show. During the conversation, Rashad McCants highlighted Jokic’s recent ‘GOAT’ commercial, and how the same is an indication of the player’s rising popularity. However, Arenas stated that if Jokic has to do commercials to “put out his personality” in front of the whole world, then he has not yet achieved ‘Superstar’ status.

One of the co-hosts stated his belief that Stephen Curry became so famous because of the State Farm Commercials he did. However, Arenas made it clear that Curry’s growing appeal lies in more than just a few TV ads. “His plays, his style, his shoes…. is what coined him,” said Arenas, when discussing what makes Steph a ‘superstar’.

In order to throw more light into his viewpoint, Arenas even went beyond the scope of the NBA world and invoked the name of recent WNBA draftee and Indiana Fever player Caitlin Clark. The former Warriors player stated, “She’s coming in as a superstar. She don’t need no numbers right now, she’s a superstar. She doesn’t need not one bucket, one WNBA bucket she’s considered a superstar”.

Through his remarks, Arenas stated that any two players can be equally dominant on the court and have a dynamic personality to back it up. In the end, however, it is the public perception that makes that individual a ‘superstar’ over the other. “Kids make you the Superstar” Arenas continued. “So, if your game doesn’t match what kids see….”

The hosts of ‘Gil’s Arena’ believed that Stephen Curry was already a star entering the NBA, because of the stats he had recorded during his tenure at Davidson College. Various factors played a role in bringing him up to a ‘Superstar’ status over 15 years. Nikola Jokic, unlike Curry and Clark, did not have the advantage of starting as a household name. However, his performances have helped to put him on a pedestal, higher than many in the current NBA roster.

Caitlin Clark got a bigger standing ovation than Nikola Jokic and the Minnesota Timberwolves!

When visiting the home base of a rival team, it would make sense for the visitors to receive a lower level of enthusiasm from the arena crowds. However, it is a rare phenomenon when both teams get overshadowed by a separate entity that was also present. Such an incident was seen during a matchup between the Nikola Jokic-led Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Back in April 2023, the two powerhouse teams were in the midst of a playoff series. With Game 4 being held at the Target Center, the Twolves possessed the homecourt advantage. During the game, the cameras panned to highlight a special guest occupying a courtside seat, Caitlin Clark herself. Back then, the WNBA star was still in the midst of her college career with the Iowa Hawkeyes and had been named as the National Player of the Year for the first time ever.

As she was introduced by the on-court announcers, the crowd erupted into a huge applause that lasted for quite some time. According to Marca, the ovation that the college player received was even louder than the one delivered by the crowd in support of the Timberwolves. Talk about reaching ‘Superstar’ status so early on.

Do you believe that Nikola Jokic has already reached ‘Superstar’ status? Let us know in the comments down below.