Embrace of Wemby as face of the NBA proves resistance toward Jokic was always racial | Bobby Burack

Nikola Jokic has been the best basketball player in the world this decade. He has put forth one of the most statistically dominant stretches in the history of the sport. He is a three-time MVP and an NBA champion.

Yet the NBA, its players and much of the media never fully embraced him as the sport's premier figure.

For years, ESPN commentators told us Jokic could not be the face of the NBA because he is European. They said the same about Luka Doncic.

Apparently, those concerns no longer apply to Victor Wembanyama...