DENVER — The Joker isn't joking around this season.
And NBA fans are taking notice.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was voted a 2021 All-Star Game starter on Thursday night, the league announced.
Jokic joins Stephen Curry (Warriors), Luka Doncic (Mavericks), LeBron James (Lakers) and Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) as part of the Western Conference's starting five.
The game is scheduled to take place in Atlanta on Sunday night, March 7.
It's a historic honor for Jokic as he's Denver's first starter in the game since Carmelo Anthony a decade ago in 2011. He also joins Alex English and David Thompson as the only members of the Nuggets to ever make three straight All-Star contests.
The 25-year-old is nearly averaging a triple-double on the season, racking up eye-popping stats with 27.4 points per game, 11.1 rebounds and 8.6 assists. He's also recording 1.57 steals a night; all those numbers are good for career-highs.
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Jokic won Western Conference Player of the Month for games taking place in December / January and many think he's a favorite to potentially win the NBA MVP award this season.
The Nuggets, though, will likely have to improve on their 15-13 record and No. 8 seed in the West for that to become a reality.
Jokic joins the aforementioned Anthony, English and Thompson as Nuggets with at least three All-Star game selections, with Dikembe Mutombo also achieving the honor.
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