Why Nikola Jokić Deserves All the Love From Serbian Fans

minh | Denver Nuggets
August 14, 2024

Why Nikola Jokić Deserves All the Love From Serbian Fans

It’s good. The job is done, we can go home now… – Nikola Jokić

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Serbia gave Team USA the scare of a lifetime in last Thursday’s game to decide who would play for the gold medal.

Despite being outmatched by a team with four NBA MVP winners, Serbia nearly pulled off the massive upset thanks to leader Nikola Jokić, the best basketball player in the world right now.

While Jokić and Serbia were not able to hold a 17-point lead in the end to crush USA’s hopes of another gold, they still went on to defeat Germany and win a bronze medal. Jokić also won a silver medal for Serbia in the 2016 Olympics, but he was not the headliner of NBA news and a 3-time MVP like he is now.

Still, you get the sense Jokić is built differently from other superstars. Celebrating a bronze medal for his country might actually mean more to him than lifting a world championship like he did for the Denver Nuggets in 2023.

Upon arriving at home with the national team, Jokić heard the “MVP” chants from the Serbian crowd, which has every right to be proud of the effort this team showed at the Paris Olympics.

Jokić LOVES Going Home in the Offseason

It practically became a meme during the 2022-23 championship season every time Jokić viewed his NBA career like someone would view a boring 9-5 job. He just shows up, puts in the work, and that’s not what really makes him happy in life.

Even after hoisting the championship after a brilliant series against the Miami Heat last summer, Jokić was not getting swept up in the emotion of the moment like many American NBA players have before.

When asked if it was the most fun he’s ever had, Jokić replied that it was the opposite because of the extra 2.5 months of work it took.

Complaining about more work? He’s so relatable. My favorite video is still his instant reaction to winning when he said “It’s good. The job is done, we can go home now.”

Jokić is like the ultimate lazy guy outlier. He’d prefer not to care about this stuff, but he’s still so damn good at his job that he keeps making everyone else look bad. You have to love him.

But as soon as Jokić got back home to Serbia last summer, you saw the joy in candid videos of him dancing in public. Like a whole different person at home.

Like clockwork, Jokić was hyped to celebrate this bronze with his Serbian brothers.

Don’t Forget the Horses

Finally, let’s not forget the true love for Jokić is horses rather than basketball. He is absolutely enamored with those animals, and 24 hours after winning his bronze medal, he was already spotted enjoying a horse race.

At 29 years old, Jokić still has some prime years left for his basketball career. But it wouldn’t be surprising at all if he were to retire on the spot following the 2028 Summer Olympics in LA should he bring a gold medal to Serbia.

We know he’ll be content with the horses for the rest of his days.

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