Well, that was awkward. Kevin Garnett took to Instagram to give Nikola Jokic his flowers after a mind-blowing performance against the Phoenix Suns. “Boyyy the joker was cooking tonight.. 100 was on his Wlit shiiiizzzz…30/20/20 is crazy…Salute to Nikola.. did that sir…Respect..” Garnett wrote, hyping up the Denver Nuggets’ superstar. And rightfully so—Jokic put on a historic show, leading his team to an overtime win with an insane triple-double. But while Garnett’s praise was spot-on, his tag wasn’t.

Turns out, Garnett didn’t actually tag Jokic. Instead, he mistakenly gave a shoutout to Nikola Jovic, the Miami Heat’s young forward. That’s right—wrong Serbian, wrong team, wrong moment. Fans quickly noticed the mix-up, and before long, the Hall of Famer realized his online mishap. Eventually, KG had to face the music and own up to his mistake.

“My bad.. I tag the wrong Jokic.. my lame a–… yall knew what I meant… Smh My Bad dog,” Garnett admitted in his recent Instagram story. It was a classic social media slip-up, but honestly, Jokic’s unreal performance was enough to make anyone forget their own name, let alone someone else’s.

Jokic’s stat line that night was the stuff of legends—31 points, 21 rebounds, and 22 assists in a thrilling 149-141 win. Interestingly, Garnett has always been a fan of the Nuggets’ big man, praising him as one of the league’s elite and a key reason Denver lifted the championship trophy in 2023.

Though Kevin Garnett and Jokic have completely different styles—KG was a loud, intense force, while Jokic dominated in silence—Garnett has always respected the Serbian’s leadership. And with the MVP race heating up, KG might get another chance to congratulate the right Nikola when the time comes.

Kevin Garnett is ready for Jokar’s 4th MVP

All season long, Kevin Garnett has made his rounds on different shows, including KG Certified with Paul Pierce, where he hasn’t shied away from praising Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets’ big man has dominated the league yet again, and with another historic campaign under his belt, he might just be adding another MVP trophy to his growing collection.

But it won’t be a walk in the park. Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have been neck-and-neck in the MVP race, with both leading their teams to the top of the Western Conference. Last year, Jokic edged out SGA for the award, and now the Thunder star is coming for his moment. With both squads looking primed for deep playoff runs, the battle for MVP is heating up.

Garnett, however, isn’t ready to count Jokic out. “The Joker man, you can’t ever leave Joker out,” he said when discussing this year’s MVP conversation. And honestly, it’s hard to argue. With three MVPs in the last four years, Jokic has proven he’s a generational talent who can take over any game.

No matter who takes home the hardware, one thing’s for sure—Garnett will be keeping a close eye on the race. Let’s just hope that when it’s time to give props, he tags the right Nikola this time.