"2-sport athlete" - NBA fans hilariously react to Nikola Jokic's rare inbounds pass as he heads the ball 

Nikola Jokic's Denver Nuggets dominated the Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers 144-109 on Tuesday. Along the way, the three-time MVP seemingly had fun on an inbounds pass. Jokic headed the ball to his teammate Michael Porter Jr. in a soccer-esque move, generating comical NBA fan reactions and questions about the pass' legality.

As part of NBA Rivals Week, Tuesday's contest was supposed to feature a showdown between arguably the league's top two centers. However, Embiid remained sidelined due to left knee swelling as Denver secured a lopsided 35-point home win.

Jokic led the way with his 19th triple-double of the season, tallying 27 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals, shooting 66.7%. Nevertheless, it was his early third-quarter inbounds pass that caught many fans' attention.

Sixers big man Andre Drummond converted a dunk to cut the Nuggets' lead to 84-71 with 9:57 remaining. Afterward, Jokic promptly corralled the ball, tossed it up with his right hand, and nonchalantly headed it inbounds to Porter.

Fans on X/Twitter were mostly entertained by Jokic's unconventional pass, with many remarking about his versatile skill set.

"When you want to play football," @Gaming4Life1818 said.

"Two-sport athlete," @SnoopVonPoop wrote.

"My Sixers (are) so trash (that) Joker (is) out here playing soccer on the court during the game, SMFH," @savantsportsiq said.

Meanwhile, others asserted that the six-time All-Star was trying to entertain himself amid the blowout.

"Gotta find new ways to stay engaged when Embiid refuses to play against you five years straight," @PlayTENAMINT wrote.

"Dude has so much fun on the court!" @d2wuzup said.

However, a few fans questioned whether Jokic's stunt violated the NBA rulebook.

"This looks illegal, LOL," @clinkie44 wrote.

"That's not legal," @MatthewR2415 said.

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Nikola Jokic reflects on potentially topping his 3 MVP seasons after making light work of shorthanded Sixers

Following Tuesday's one-sided victory, Nikola Jokic was asked to address his supporters who feel he's outperforming his three MVP seasons. The 2023 NBA champion concurred before noting that Denver still has a long way to go before achieving its team goals.

"I feel I'm playing the best basketball of my life," Jokic said. "I think we, as a team, are not where we're supposed to be, and I think that's probably a good thing because ... we are trying to find our rhythm."

With their third straight win, the Nuggets (27-16) sit one and a half games behind the Houston Rockets (28-14) for the Western Conference's second seed. They will attempt to extend their winning streak on Thursday when they host the Sacramento Kings (22-20).

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