Nikola Jokic Responds After Carmelo Anthony Says Nuggets Gave Away No. 15 Out Of Spite.

hen asked to respond to recent comments made by Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic took the high road by paying his respects. Speaking openly about the origin behind his jersey number (which is the same that Anthony wore during his Nuggets tenure), Jokic explained that he did not pick 15 to spite the basketball legend. Rather, he was just following a tradition he had practiced for his whole life.

“I think I’ve been wearing 15 my whole life. In my home town I was wearing 15 and then I was wearing 14 for one moment I think. Of course, he [Carmelo Anthony] was a great player.”

“I think I’ve been wearing 15 my whole life. When asked did he knew that someone had worn the number 15 before Joker replied, “Of course, he [Carmelo Anthony] was a great player.”… Show more

okic wore 15 for pretty much the entirety of his basketball career, so it was only natural for him to pick the number up when he made the leap to the NBA. Curiously, the Nuggets did not resist this move from Jokic, despite their history with Carmelo Anthony.  Today, 2 MVPs and a championship later, Jokic has made the number his own and it’ll be his name that hangs in the rafters of Ball Arena when it’s all said and done.

The only reason this topic has surfaced recently is some comment made by retired Nuggets star Carmelo Antony. He spent his first eight seasons with the Nuggets and broke out as one of the top scorers in the league. So when the Nuggets willingly let Jokic wear his iconic 15 jersey number, it’s no surprise that it was seen as a slap in the face for the former third-overall pick.

According to Anthony, it wasn’t an accident that the Nuggets gave away his number. Speaking on his podcast, Melo admitted that he felt the franchise only gave away his number in an effort to wipe his legacy from the history books. So far, that task ha been unsuccessful, but it’s impossible to deny that Jokic has already surpassed Anthony in almost every metric. At this point, the Nuggets would sooner retire 15 for Jokic than they would for Anthony, who left the team with nothing to show for his time there.

At the center of it all has been Jokic, who continues to prove himself as the best player in the world. This season, through 39 games, he’s averaging 25.5 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per game on 57.5% shooting. In short, Jokic’s impact on the court has been immeasurable over the past couple of years and just based on what he’s already done for them, the guy is entitled to wear whatever number he wants. Unfortunately for Carmelo, there’s no way he’ll win this battle but he might rest easier knowing that it’s nothing personal with the Joker.