Portland Trail Blazers rookie Jan Hansen shared his wish that Nikola Jokic will be involved.
The 2025 NBA Draft featured several surprise picks, but the Portland Trail Blazers’ selection of Jan Hansen is undoubtedly the top of the list with a 16th overall pick.
The Trail Blazers reportedly view Hansen as “Chinese Nikola Jokic.” Yes, that’s a big comparison for unproven newcomers, but nicknames are only becoming more popular over time.
In fact, Hansen was clearly a huge fan of Jokic and shared a great wish for the Denver Nuggets superstar.
Given Hansen’s rise in popularity, his first game with Jokic will create a big buzz among NBA fans.
But what about Hansen? What are his expectations for Jokic when he finally gets the opportunity to play against the 3x NBA MVP?
“Please give me a photo and sign,” Hansen said.
Knowing Hansen’s wish, Jokic responded cheerfully to the question.
“He’s fine. I’m happy when he was going to enter his prime and I was going to get out of the league. Yeah, he’s talented,” Jokic said via the NBA on X.
Joker added: “He can only have what he wants if he’s doing bad things to me. If I destroy him and I get a lot of points, that’s right.
It was great to see Jokic acknowledge Hansen’s potential, even when former players like Gilbert Arenas haven’t seen it.
But even so, Joker’s competitive spirit would not allow him to fulfill Hansen’s wishes in case the rookie overtakes him.
At 30, Jokic is still at the height of his NBA career. Obviously, Nugget wants to make him happy as long as he is in the league. Even if he needs to delay his major contract extension.
So far, Jokic has already pieced together the Hall of Fame resumes, but you may wonder how much Joker plans to take control in the NBA.
Now, during his reaction to Hansen’s wish, Jokic accidentally spilled tea about his future. After all, he said he might be out of the league by the time Hansen hits his prime.
Assuming Hansen will reach that stage in about a decade, that means it’s time for Jokic to get out of the league.
So, even in the worst-case scenario, Jokic will continue to dominate the NBA for at least five years.