In the house where Joker is the undisputed king, we got a glimpse why Victor Wembanyama will soon rule the whole NBA.

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is the best basketball player on the planet.

“I think you’ve got a good argument right there, when you say Jokic, because I think Vic was No. 1 today, how he was hooping,” insisted Spurs guard Devin Vassell, who would take Wemby over Joker with his first pick when choosing sides on the playground.

Yes, Jokic is the three-time MVP of the league and “a top 10 player of all time,” according to no less an authority than future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant.

But the crown is heavy and Wemby is coming for it.

On a chilly Friday night when San Antonio came into Ball Arena and beat Denver 113-110, Wembanyama was frequently the best player on the court, including when it counted most.

With the Nuggets trailing by a single point in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, they put the ball in the hands of Jokic, who began to back Wembanyama down the lane.

In this situation, especially when he breaks out the Sombor Shuffle, Joker almost always calls game.

But not this time.

The best offensive player of this NBA era got stoned by the league’s new defensive beast.

“Multiple time MVP, soon to be the MVP again,” said Wembanyama, giving Jokic his flowers. “Can’t ask for a better way to get better.”

In this particular case, with every eye in the building on him, Wemby forced Joker off his spot, then forced him into a bad pass, which resulted in a breakaway dunk by Vassell to seal Denver’s sad fate.

Joker vs. Wemby.

If it’s not already the most compelling mano a mano matchup in the NBA, it soon will be.

Jokic scored 41 points, with 18 rebounds and nine assists. Wembanyama countered with 35 points and18 rebounds of his own. But even bigger, the Spurs center stood tallest at winning time.

“He’s a special player,” Jokic said. “I think he’s going to be one of a kind and one that’s going to be remembered forever.”

Wemby is an unmistakable, 7-foot-3 reminder of the urgency for Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth to surround Jokic with more depth of quality talent before the prime years of Joker begin to wane.

It would be tempting to call Wembanyama the little basketball brother of Jokic from another mother, except for the fact he already stands four inches taller than the Nuggets big man.

Denver coach Michael Malone and Spurs legend Gregg Popovich have long been close confidantes. Although Pop has forgotten about hoops than many in the game will ever learn, I swear San Antonio has stolen a few chapters out of Malone’s book of how best to maximize a center that can initiate and orchestrate the offense.

“When I watch (the Spurs), it kind of reminds me of how we use Nikola,” Malone said.

Joker changed the game, taking basketball to a new place only his imagination could see. But Wemby offers proof that even a unicorn can evolve into something bigger and better.

“They’re so versatile and unique,” Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson said, “that the skillset suggests you can use them all over the court.”

I’m certain that the NBA can already end the discussion and cancel the vote for one of its prestigious individual awards, because Wemby is the only player in the league with the defensive chops to force Joker to pull out every rabbit and candle in his bag of magic tricks.

In pro sports, the championship window doesn’t slowly slide shut. It’s slammed.

Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is fixing to take the MVP trophy from Jokic this season. And Wembanyama, who as a rookie a year ago joined a Spurs team that suffered through a 22-60 record before his arrival, could lift San Antonio to double that number of victories during his second pro season in the United States.

While Jokic might be the most self-deprecating MVP in league history, and he frequently acts as if he’s lucky to be on the court with NBA stars, the ferocity with which he plays against Wembanyama is more than a hint of his respect for the French wunderkind, who will celebrate his 22nd birthday when the Nuggets and Spurs meet for a rematch in San Antonio on Saturday night.

Already a towering presence, how dominant will Wembanyama be when he grows up?

“Good luck to the league for the next, I don’t know how many years,” Vaseell said.

On the golf course, Arnold Palmer was the king until Jack Nicklaus began draining putts. Tom Brady took the crown from Joe Montana as the GOAT, before Patrick Mahomes came along to stake a claim.

One of sport’s eternal beauties is how the beat goes on. From Wilt to Kareem to Shaq to Joker, big men have redefined what a center can be.

Wemby’s got next.