Nikola Jokić on Verge of Historic NBA Stat Feat

Nuggets star leads league in rebounds and assists per game, a first in modern NBA history.

Apr. 9, 2026 at 3:20am

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A cubist-style painting depicting Nikola Jokić's basketball skills and stats broken down into sharp, overlapping geometric shapes and planes in the colors of the Denver Nuggets' uniform.Nikola Jokić's historic season has the NBA world in awe, as the Nuggets star nears a statistical feat never before accomplished.Denver Today

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić is on the cusp of making NBA history, as he currently leads the league in both rebounds and assists per game with just three games left in the regular season. No player has ever accomplished this feat in a single season, even across different years. Jokić's historic stat line and the reactions from the basketball world have reignited the debate around his case for the NBA MVP award.

Why it matters

Jokić's potential achievement would cement his status as one of the most dominant and well-rounded players in NBA history. Leading the league in both rebounds and assists is an unprecedented accomplishment that highlights Jokić's unique skillset and impact on the game. This debate over his MVP candidacy also speaks to the evolving definition of 'most valuable player' in the modern NBA.

The details

Nikola Jokić is currently averaging 12.9 rebounds and 10.9 assists per game, leading the league in both categories. The only other players close to him are Karl-Anthony Towns and Cade Cunningham, who are each a full rebound and assist behind Jokić respectively. Jokić is also averaging 28.0 points per game on an impressive 56.8% field goal percentage and 38.0% from three-point range.

  • With 3 games left in the regular season, Jokić is on the verge of making NBA history.

The players

Nikola Jokić

The star center for the Denver Nuggets who is on the cusp of becoming the first player in NBA history to lead the league in both rebounds and assists per game in a single season.

Karl-Anthony Towns

The Minnesota Timberwolves center who is second in the league in rebounds per game, trailing Jokić.

Cade Cunningham

The Detroit Pistons guard who is second in the league in assists per game, trailing Jokić.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The Oklahoma City Thunder guard who is currently the betting favorite to win the NBA MVP award, despite Jokić's historic season.

Victor Wembanyama

The French phenom who is also in the running for the NBA MVP award alongside Gilgeous-Alexander, despite Jokić's unprecedented stat line.

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What they’re saying

“Annual WTF stat from Jokić. It is a line that doubles as an entire career summary.”

— Chris Steed, Basketball coach for the Margrath Zeniths

“Jokić is so clearly the most valuable player in the league... but he doesn't have Sam Presti building his roster, so here we are.”

— HoopsWill

“How is he not the most obvious MVP in sports history?”

— Ernesto Cova, Senior NBA and NFL writer, Yardbarker

“We're never going to see a season like this again from no one else ever in the history of the game.”

— Paul Pierce

What’s next

With just three games remaining in the regular season, all eyes will be on Nikola Jokić as he looks to cement his place in NBA history by becoming the first player to lead the league in both rebounds and assists per game in a single season.

The takeaway

Nikola Jokić's historic 2025-26 season has reignited the debate around the NBA MVP award and what truly defines the 'most valuable player.' His potential achievement of leading the league in both rebounds and assists would cement his status as one of the most dominant and well-rounded players in NBA history, further strengthening his case for the MVP trophy.