The NBA has never been short of a superstar. Whether it was Michael Jordan becoming the most famous sportsman on the planet throughout his stint with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s or Koba Bryant”s relentless pursuit of victory in the 2000s, there have always been bonafide megastars on the court.
In recent times, it’s been the iconic LeBron James alongside the Baby-Faced Assassin Steph Curry that has dominantly led the league. But as Father Time begins to catch up with them their powers begin to wane, and a new contingent have stars has taken over.
At the head of that respective pack is Serbian behemoth Nikola Jokic. The mercurial 29-year-old is arguably the best player on the planet at present, leading the Denver Nuggets to a first-ever Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy just over 18 months ago as well as claiming the MVP award three times in the last four years. But while The Joker is a huge presence on the court, much less is known about his low profile when he is out of the limelight.
Stature
Standing tall at 6’11 and weighing a mighty 284 pounds, the Sombor-born star’s physical presence is awe-inspiring enough. Young Nikola was a famously chubby teen before being introduced to basketball by his older brothers. Suddenly he discovered a hidden talent and has gone on to become his country’s greatest ever player.
His exceptional skills with the ball in hand alongside his massive stature make him a bonafide superstar, and you can expect to see him on the Mount Rushmore of centers alongside Shaquille O’Neal when his career draws to a close. As the great man himself famously once said, “Don’t bet against the fat boy.”
Career
Jokic’s journey began in his homeland, rising to prominence with Belgrade-based outfit KK Mega Basket. He claimed the Adriatic League’s MVP award in 2015 at just 20 years of age, with his displays across the Balkans that year making him a shoo-in for the NBA Draft. The Nuggets duly obliged, famously selecting the Serbian supremo with the 41st overall pick during a Taco Bell commercial. While many thought that was comical, his career in North America has been anything but.
The big man quickly became a pivotal player at Ball Arena, averaging ten points per game in his rookie campaign before ramping things up a notch. By his third season, he had established himself as a pivotal figure in Colorado, helping his team to their first winning record in five years and securing his first of six straight all-star selections.
By 2021, the Joker was arguably the best player on the planet. He claimed his first MVP award that year, before successfully defending the trophy the following year. He should have made it three in a row in 2023 but he was controversially pipped to the crown by Joel Embiid. However, that wouldn’t deter Jokic.
Rather than claiming personal accolades that term. He would instead lead the Nuggets to the NBA Championship for the first time. After embarking on a dominant run, Denver dispatched the Eastern Conference’s eighth-seed Miami Heat in the Finals, ending the fairytale run of Jimmy Butler in the process.
2024 Hopes
This season, Jokic is aiming to reclaim his throne after a disappointing early playoff exit last term. His side has won seven of their first ten games so far this term but the bookies still don’t truly fancy their chances, with Bovada’s NBA betting odds listing them as a distant +1500 fringe contender.
But despite their faint title aspirations, the Joker is still a frontrunner for yet another MVP award. He has been priced as the +225 to claim the coveted prize for a fourth time this season and if he can live up to the billing, only Bill Russell (5), Michael Jordan (5), and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6) will have claimed the gong more times than Serbia’s finest.
Any hopes of claiming the championship once more however hinge on an impressive showing in the regular season. Several West Coast outfits have strengthened considerably, with Klay Thompson moving to the Dallas Mavericks in a particularly eye-catching move. Surpassing them and the rest of the teams in the conference will by no means be an easy task.
National Pride
Denver’s main man isn’t just his franchise’s best player, he’s also Serbia’s best-ever basketballer. His exploits on the court for the national team have led him to become a beloved figure in his homeland, perhaps only surpassed in a sporting sense by the love shown to the greatest tennis player that’s ever lived, Novak Djokovic. While it remains unlikely that he will ever claim 24 major honors like Nole has done with Grand Slames, Jokic has already done plenty to restore his country’s national pride.
At just 21 years of age, he led Serbia to an Olympic silver medal at the Rio 2016 games, losing out in the showpiece to a star-studded Team USA. Earlier this summer, the Stars and Stripes’ resident Avengers beat Jokic and Co. once again, this time in the semifinals. But The Joker wouldn’t let that defeat get him down, rallying his team to defeat the much-fancied Germany to claim a respectable bronze medal.