Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels may have made some powerful enemies during his team’s playoff opener on Saturday.
McDaniels needlessly shoved Nikola Jokic in the back late in the third quarter of Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals at Ball Arena in Denver, Co. Jokic and the rest of the Denver Nuggets understandably took offense to the shove and confronted McDaniels.
Analysts Candace Parker and Dwyane Wade spoke for most of those watching by pointing out that McDaniels was risking trouble — not with Jokic, but with his brothers.
“I don’t know if that’s a fight he really wants to pick,” Parker said of McDaniels. “Have you seen Joker and his brothers?”
“His brothers are around here somewhere. I bet you security went right to his brothers,” Wade concurred.
JADEN MCDANIELS WANTS THE SMOKE WITH JOKIC pic.twitter.com/D8OCFGKKdH
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 18, 2026
Jokic’s brothers come up every time the MVP gets threatened. They infamously called out Marcus Morris in a well-publicized 2021 incident, and they come up again virtually every time Jokic gets into a confrontation with somebody. The fact that the actual game announcers referenced it immediately is an indicator of just how infamous they are.
The incident passed without any further flare-ups. Still, McDaniels might want to watch his back for a little while.
