When you see a player like Nikola Jokic dominate and lead his teammates night in and night out, you may justifiably start to take it for granted a little bit. The accomplishment Jokic added to his mantle in Thursday’s 126-115 win over the Orlando Magic is yet another reminder that we’re watching a once-in-a-lifetime specimen on the basketball court.

With a second-quarter dime to Jalen Pickett, Jokic officially surpassed the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most assists by a center in NBA history. Considering Abdul-Jabbar played 20 seasons in the league and Jokic is less than halfway through his 11th, it goes to show just how unheralded Jokic’s skillset truly is in the sport. 

Jokic acknowledged the accomplishment in the on-court interview postgame, but played it off in true Jokic fashion. He’ll look back at those accomplishments as an old man, not while he’s an active machine in his prime.

“I always say those things are something for after the career,” Jokic said. “I think the legacy for after my career, that I'm going look up, look back on, drinking beer on the porch and telling the lies to my kids.”

When asked in the postgame press conference what lie he’s going to tell his children about his career, Jokic provided a humorous answer per usual. In fairness, by the time he retires his list of accolades will probably look so absurd that his kids will think he’s lying anyway. 

“I don't know what I’m going to say,” Jokic said. “I need to think about it because I need to think of something good."

Jokic’s partner-in-crime Jamal Murray, who led the Nuggets with 32 points in Thursday’s win, had a little bit more to add about his teammates' accomplishment and what it personally means to him to play along a generational talent like Jokic. 

"It's really cool,” Murray said. “This is a time that I'll be able to look back and appreciate all of the years that I've had to play this game with him. It's special. Passing Kareem in anything is pretty cool, so I think it just speaks to his greatness and how unselfish he is."

The Nuggets have now won six games in a row following Tuesday’s outcome and seven of their last eight, pushing their record to a franchise best 20-6 through 26 games. They’ll be back in action against the Houston Rockets on Saturday, with tip-off set for 3 p.m. local time at Ball Arena.