Nikola Jokic continues to prove that he is the best basketball player in the world, but the game doesn't look very hard for him at times.
The Nuggets star is big and burly in stature at 6-11, 248 pounds. His size and skill simplifies the game, and his IQ allows him to make plays that only he saw coming.
He scores with ease around the basket with a soft shooting touch. He's like a dump truck backing down his opponent on the block, but his footwork is light like a ballerina. His court vision makes it seem like he has a sixth sense, seeing plays develop faster than anyone else on the court.
That combination of skills creates a three-time MVP and one of the most uniquely unstoppable players the NBA has ever seen.
But unlike most of the NBA's all-time greats before him, Jokic competes in a somewhat effortless manner. He loves horses almost as much (if not, more) than he loves basketball. He's goofy and playful, and his trash talk is, apparently, as simple as his game and demeanor.
After falling in a 2-0 hole against the Timberwolves in the 2024 Western Conference Semifinals, Jokic has turned things up a notch. His sheer dominance against four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert has caused one of NBA Twitter's favorite Jokic trash talk memes to resurface.
What does "Brother, I have 47" mean? The Sporting News breaks it down below.
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Nikola Jokic 'Brother, I have 47' meme, explained
During the 2020-21 season, Jokic and the Nuggets were going up against Gobert and the Jazz in a late January game.
Jokic was already beginning to establish himself as one of the best players in the league, but he hadn't won his first MVP yet. The star center appeared to be trying to prove a point against Gobert, who was already a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and the favorite to win the award for a third time that season.
Jokic owned Gobert that night, exploding for a then career-high-tying 47 points to go with 12 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block. He needed just 26 shots to reach that total, shooting an efficient 17-for-26 from the field, 4-for-4 from 3, and 9-for-10 from the free throw line.
As his teammate Jamal Murray tells it, Jokic had a moment of simple — yet effective — trash talk toward Gobert, who thought he could guard the future first-time MVP.
"Joker, he's got 47 at this point against Gobert. It's a close game, too," Murray tells Altitude Radio as he sets the stage for the story.
"Jok catches the ball on the block and [the Jazz] try and send half help at him. Gobert goes, 'Nah, I got him. I got him. I got him.'
"Jok has the ball, and he goes, 'Brother, I have 47.'
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"I was like, 'you're a savage, bro," Murray concluded as he and the radio hosts exploded in laughter.
That is how the viral quote was etched in the imaginary NBA Twitter Hall of Fame. You don't always have to be the loudest player on the court to send the most impactful message.