ESPN NBA announcer Mark Jones addresses Nikola Jokić bias claims

For years, Denver Nuggets fans have feuded with ESPN’s Mark Jones over the announcer’s supposed disrespect toward their MVP center Nikola Jokic.

Jones’ criticisms of Jokic hit a peak in 2023, when Jones frequently argued against the Serbian big man’s candidacy for a third-straight MVP award based on the idea that he is a weak link on defense. The play-by-play man went viral for pouring cold water on a viral video highlighting Jokic’s ability to read opposing teams’ plays on defense and for arguing that Memphis point guard Ja Morant was a more impactful defensive player.

That, of course, all happened in the same year that Jokic broke through and ultimately won his first NBA championship. While Jones left X last fall and even posted a photo of himself with the Jokic family to solidify his appreciation for the Serbian star, Nuggets fans never relented. To this day, they continue to highlight Jones’ commentary on Jokic and question his credibility.

In a new interview on the Sports Media Watch podcast, Jones addressed the dynamic between himself and Denver fans over his Jokic analysis. Jones appeared to acknowledge that leaving X has helped him get into less online conflicts, while saying he now is “oblivious” to most of the criticisms toward him as a result.

“I understand the zealousness of certain fanbases. That’s why they call it a ‘fan,’ it’s a fanatic,” Jones added. “They’re going to think that everything you say that isn’t for their team is hate. I get it. I don’t take it to heart because I’ve always felt that I was very measured and calculated in a lot of my statements.”

Jones proceeded to showcase that he knows the names of certain scripted sets that the Nuggets run for Jokic. Because he played college basketball and has memorized basketball concepts, Jones said, it is fans’ “prerogative” to criticize him, but he takes it all with a grain of salt.

Further, Jones believes his Jokic analysis in particular is foolproof because it is informed by reporting. Around the NBA, Jones said, league insiders agree that Jokic is a poor defender. Anyone who feels differently is living in an “alternate universe.”

“If you’re telling me this and I know it’s that because I’ve spoken to coaches and players, and if I say that this guy is not a great defender and I know that to be true because players and coaches have told me that and I see it with my own eyes, OK,” Jones said. “You can tell me he’s a great defender, OK, there’s an alternate universe for everybody out there. I’m good with that.”

Jones is often willing to go further than other announcers with his opinions, both online and on-air. Sometimes, that will make fans feel as if you are rooting against their team even more than they already do. Clearly Jones hasn’t yet outrun the perception that he does not like Jokic.