What would a championship mean for these superstars?

The 2023 NBA season has been one for the ages. With many scoring records being broken, fans have had a lot to look forward to going into the playoffs. With the playoffs now well underway, we find the Denver Nuggets, LA Lakers, Miami Heat, and Boston Celtics still in the running. With all of these teams having superstars on their roster leading the push, here is what it would mean for these leading stars should they win it all.

Jimmy Butler

Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler has been on a different level this post-season. With the Heat barely making the playoffs as the eighth seed, fans didn’t expect much as they played reigning champions Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. Butler led his team to defeat them against all odds with some huge scoring games including a 59-point performance, the fourth all-time for most points in a playoff game. Butler had already gained the reputation of being a great playoff riser, but no one expected this. Should Jimmy lead this team to winning the finals, it would be arguably the greatest playoff run ever as the Heat were nowhere near one of the best teams in the league and lacked the depth many contenders have. Jimmy would be known as the greatest playoff riser in NBA history.

Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum is the player with the most pressure on him to win. Most fans and analysts had the Celtics as the second-best team in the league in terms of talent and depth, second only to the Bucks. Due to this, all the pressure will be on them to win as the team would be regarded as a disappointment should they not win. If Tatum does win, he would cement himself as one of the best players of his generation as he has been a top-five player in the league for years now but has yet to make the big step up.

Nikola Jokic

The Serbian has been breaking records left, right, and centre this playoff run. Last season’s MVP has been putting up huge triple-double stat lines with multiple 30-20-10 games which have only been done four times in playoff history; two of which were Jokic this season. After already winning two out of the last three MVP trophies, if he were to win the championship this season, there is no doubt he is the best Centre of the modern NBA.

LeBron James

LeBron James is already the best player of all time. Were he to win a championship at the age of 38, he would become the oldest finals MVP winner of all time. Doing this would make his GOAT argument even more set in stone and will close the gap between him and second-place Michael Jordan.

Who will win the championship? It’s any man's guess. One thing that is certain is that this finals run will be one for the history books.