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Nikola Jokić

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Nikola Jokić
Nikola Jokic free throw (cropped).jpg
Jokić with the Denver Nuggets in 2020
No. 15 – Denver Nuggets
PositionCenter
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1995-02-19) February 19, 1995 (age 26)
Sombor, Serbia, FR Yugoslavia
NationalitySerbian
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight284 lb (129 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2014 / Round: 2 / Pick: 41st overall
Selected by the Denver Nuggets
Playing career2012–present
Career history
2012–2015Mega Basket
2015–presentDenver Nuggets
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Serbia
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team
U19 World Championship
Silver medal – second place 2013 Czech Republic Team

Nikola Jokić (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Јокић, pronounced [nǐkola jôkitɕ] (About this soundlisten); born February 19, 1995) is a Serbian professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays the center position. The three-time NBA All-Star has been named to the All-NBA Team on three occasions (including two first-team selections), and has won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for the 2020–21 NBA season.[1] He also represents the Serbian national team.

Nicknamed "the Joker", Jokić was selected by the Nuggets in the second round of the 2014 NBA draft. He was voted to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2016. In the 2018–19 NBA season, while leading the Nuggets to the Western Conference Semifinals, he received his first All-Star and All-NBA First Team selections. In the following season, he once again received All-Star and All-NBA honors, while leading his team to the Western Conference Finals. Jokić ranks among the top 10 on the all-time list of the NBA players with the most triple-doubles, where he is the leading European player, and he holds the record for fastest triple-double (achieved in 14 minutes and 33 seconds).[2][3] He also won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Early life

Jokić was born in Sombor, Serbia.[4] He grew up in a cramped two-bedroom apartment that housed him and his two brothers, both parents and grandmother.[5] His father was an agricultural engineer.[6] Jokić developed a love of basketball early in his life playing with his two older brothers, who were a decade older. Strahinja, the oldest brother, played basketball in Europe and Nemanja, the second oldest, played college basketball at the University of Detroit Mercy.[5][7] The brothers are friends with former NBA player Darko Miličić.[8] Jokić also loved horse racing as a child and competed as an amateur, a passion he still holds today.[4][9]

Professional career

Mega Basket (2012–2015)

Jokić played youth basketball in Vojvodina Srbijagas, where he became a dominant figure and received interest from bigger teams. In the summer of 2012, Jokić signed a contract with Mega Vizura, although in the first season with the team he played mostly for their junior team in 2012–13. At the age of 17, he appeared in 5 games of the Serbian League and averaged 1.8 points and 2 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per game. In the 2013–14 season, he saw more minutes on the court for the senior team. Over 25 Adriatic League games, he averaged 11.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He also played 13 games with the team in the Serbian League and had similar production, averaging 10.9 points, 6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

2014–15 season

On June 26, 2014, Jokić was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 41st overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft[10] and following this and the departure of Ratko Varda, he became one of the team leaders in the 2014–15 season. In the first game of the Adriatic League, he led his team to a 103–98 win over MZT Skopje, by scoring 27 points and grabbing 15 rebounds for a total index rating of 44.[11][12] He was named the MVP of Round 1.[13] On November 3, he recorded 17 points, 12 rebounds and season-high 8 assists for a total index rating of 40, in a 90–84 victory over Zadar.[14] For such performance, he was named the MVP of the Round 6.[15] On February 7, he scored 27 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a 77–88 loss to Szolnoki Olaj.[16] He was named the MVP of the Round for the third time in a season.[17] For his performances over the month, he was named the MVP for February, having averaged 21.7 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.[18] On March 21, he scored a season-high 28 points and added 15 rebounds to help his team win with 100–96 over Igokea.[19] He was named the MVP of the Round 26, his fourth Round MVP award over the season.[20] Even though Mega Leks finished in 10th place in the Adriatic League, Jokić became one of the league's most valuable players. Over 24 games played, he averaged 15.4 points, league-leading 9.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, while leading the league with the index rating of 22.[21] On March 26, he was officially named the Adriatic League regular season MVP.[22] He was also named the ABA League Top Prospect for the 2014–15 season.[23]

After the elimination by Partizan Belgrade in the semifinals of the Serbian League, Jokić parted ways with the team to pursue an NBA career.[24] In 14 games of the Serbian League, he averaged 18.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, while shooting 56.6% from the field.

Denver Nuggets (2015–present)

2015–16 season

In the summer of 2015, Jokić joined the Denver Nuggets, one season after being drafted. On July 28, 2015, he signed a contract with the Nuggets after averaging 8.0 points and 6.2 rebounds in five summer league games for the team.[25] On November 18, 2015, he had a then season-best game with 23 points and 12 rebounds in a 109–98 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.[26] On January 10, 2016, he recorded a career-high nine assists in a 95–92 win over the Charlotte Hornets.[27] On February 1, he recorded career highs of 27 points and 14 rebounds in a 112–93 win over the Toronto Raptors.[28] On April 8, he set a new career high with 15 rebounds in a 102–98 win over the San Antonio Spurs.[29] At the season's end, he finished third in the 2016 NBA Rookie of the Year Award voting[30] and earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors.[31]

2016–17 season

On October 29, 2016, Jokić recorded 23 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in a 115–113 overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.[32] After starting the first eight games of the season, Jokić was moved to the bench on November 12. He remained coming off the bench for the next 14 games.[33] During that stretch as a bench player, he had a season-high 27 points and 11 rebounds in a 112–92 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on December 12.[34] On December 19, he recorded a near triple-double with 27 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists in a 117–107 win over Dallas.[35] He had another near triple-double on December 28, recording 16 points, a career-high 11 assists and eight rebounds in a 105–103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.[36] On January 16, 2017, he scored a career-high 30 points in a 125–112 win over the Orlando Magic.[37] He surpassed that mark three days later, scoring 35 points in a 118–104 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.[38] On February 3, 2017, he recorded his first career triple-double with 20 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in a 121–117 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.[39] On February 10, 2017, he scored a career-high 40 points to lead the Nuggets to a 131–123 victory over the New York Knicks. He went 17 of 23 from the field and added nine rebounds and five assists.[40] Three days later, he set career highs with 12 assists and 21 rebounds to go with 17 points in his second career triple-double in a 132–110 win over the Golden State Warriors.[41]

On February 28, 2017, he recorded his third career triple-double with 19 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in a 125–107 win over the Chicago Bulls.[42] The following night, he had his second straight triple-double and fourth of his career—all within 13 games. He finished with 13 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in a 110–98 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.[43] On March 16, 2017, he recorded his fifth triple-double of the season with 17 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in a 129–114 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.[44] On March 31, 2017, he recorded his sixth triple-double of the season with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in a 122–114 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.[45] Jokić finished the season with a 29-point, 16-rebound, eight-assist effort in a 111–105 season-finale win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 12.[46] His six triple-doubles ranked fourth on the season behind Russell Westbrook (42), James Harden (22) and LeBron James (13).[47] At the season's end, he finished second in the 2017 NBA Most Improved Player Award voting[48] as well as in the 2017 Assist of the Year voting.[49]

2017–18 season

Jokić in 2018

On November 7, 2017, Jokić scored a career-high 41 points in a 112–104 win over the Brooklyn Nets.[50] On November 13, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from Monday November 6 to Sunday November 12. He became the 17th Nugget in franchise history to earn Player of the Week honors and the first since Ty Lawson in March 2013.[51] Jokić had a seven-game absence with a left ankle sprain in early December.[52] On January 8, he had his first triple-double of the season with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in a 124–114 loss to the Golden State Warriors.[53] On February 15, in a 134–123 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Jokić recorded 30 points, 15 rebounds and a career-high 17 assists, reaching a triple-double with 1:54 remaining in the second quarter.[54] He recorded the quickest triple-double in NBA history in 14 minutes and 33 seconds, besting Jim Tucker's previous record of 17 minutes from 1955.[55] On February 23, he recorded his third straight triple-double with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in a 122–119 win over the San Antonio Spurs.[56]

On March 7, he recorded 36 points and 13 rebounds in a 113–108 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.[57] On March 15, he recorded his eighth triple-double of the season with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a 120–113 win over the Detroit Pistons, thus setting the most triple-doubles by a Nuggets player in a season since Fat Lever had nine in 1988–89.[58] On April 1, he had 35 points and 13 rebounds in a 128–125 overtime win over the Bucks.[59] On April 9, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from Monday April 2 to Sunday April 8, thus earning his second Player of the Week nod for the season.[60] Later that day, he recorded 15 points, a season-best 20 rebounds and 11 assists in an 88–82 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, thus securing his 16th career triple-double and his 10th of the season.[61] In the Nuggets' regular season finale on April 11, 2018, Jokić recorded 35 points and 10 rebounds in a 112–106 overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was his seventh 30-point game of the season. The loss ruled the Nuggets out of the playoffs with a 46–36 record. It was the first final-day play-in game in the NBA in 21 years, with Minnesota also vying for a spot in the playoffs.[62]

2018–19 season: Breakout season, first All-Star and All-NBA appearances

On July 9, 2018, Jokić signed a five-year, $148 million maximum contract extension with the Nuggets.[63][64] On October 20, 2018, in the Nuggets' second game of the season, Jokić recorded 35 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in a 119–91 win over the Phoenix Suns. He joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to post a triple-double with 30 or more points without missing a field goal—Chamberlain did it twice, in 1966 and 1967.[65] He also became just the second Nugget to record a triple-double in the first two games of the season, joining Fat Lever.[66] Jokić went on to earn Western Conference Player of the Week honors for the first week of the season, becoming the sixth player in franchise history to win the award three or more times, joining Alex English, Dikembe Mutombo, Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson and Chauncey Billups.[67] On November 3, he had a season-high 16 assists and 10 rebounds to go with seven points in a 103–88 win over the Utah Jazz.[68] On November 9, he had a season-high 37 points and tied his career best with 21 rebounds in a 112–110 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.[69] For his efforts in 2018, he was recognized as the Serbian Player of the Year by the Basketball Federation of Serbia.[70][71]

On January 5, he scored a then season-high 39 points in a 123–110 win over the Charlotte Hornets.[72] His second Player of the Week honor came for games played from December 31 to January 6.[73] On January 8, he had his fourth triple-double of the season with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 103–99 win over the Miami Heat.[74] It was his 20th triple-double of NBA career. At age 23, he became the third-youngest player to reach 20 triple-doubles; Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson were both 22 at the time of their 20th.[75] Two days later, he had 18 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in a 121–100 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.[76] On January 13, he scored a season-high 40 points in 116–113 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.[77] On January 19, he had his sixth triple-double of the season with 19 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in a 124–102 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.[78] It was his 22nd career triple-double, thus passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to move to second place on the NBA all-time triple-doubles list by a 7-footer.[79][80] On January 23, he recorded 28 points and 21 rebounds in a 114–108 loss to the Jazz.[81] On January 27, after serving a one-game suspension for leaving the bench during an on-court fracas against the Jazz, Jokić recorded his seventh triple-double with 32 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists in a 126–110 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.[82] On January 31, he received his first All-Star selection as a Western Conference reserve for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game, becoming the Nuggets' first All-Star since Anthony in 2011.[83] On February 6, he recorded his 10th triple-double of the season with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in a 135–130 loss to the Nets.[84] On February 13, he recorded his 12th triple-double of the season with 20 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists, while also tipping in the game winning shot with 0.3 seconds remaining to lift the Nuggets to a 120–118 win over the Sacramento Kings.[85] His twelve triple-doubles ranked second on the season behind only Russell Westbrook (34).[86] On March 14, Jokic hit a rainbow hook-shot at the buzzer against the Dallas Mavericks to award Denver a 100-99 win.[87]

In Game 1 of the Nuggets' first-round playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs, Jokić became the fourth player in NBA history to record a triple-double in his playoff debut and the first since LeBron James in 2006. He had 10 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists in a 101–96 loss.[88] In Game 6 of the series, he scored 27 of his 43 points in the second half of the Nuggets' 120–103 loss. He also had 12 rebounds and nine assists.[89] Those 43 points set a franchise record for most points in a playoff game.[90] In Game 7, he helped the Nuggets win the series 4–3 with 21 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a 90–86 victory.[91] In Game 1 of the second round, Jokić scored 37 points in a 121–113 win over the Trail Blazers,[92] becoming the first Nuggets player to score 35+ points in a conference semifinals game since Anthony (41 points) in May 2009.[93] In Game 3 against Portland, he had 33 points, 18 rebounds and 14 assists in a 140–137 quadruple-overtime loss.[94] In Game 4, he had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in a 116–112 win.[95] In Game 5, he recorded 25 points and 19 rebounds in a 124–98 win. His 19 rebounds tied a team NBA playoff high.[96] The Nuggets were eliminated from the playoffs following a 100–96 loss to Portland in Game 7, despite Jokić's 29 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks.[97][98] In 14 playoff games, he averaged 25.1 points, 13.0 rebounds and 8.4 assists in 39.7 minutes per game, with shooting splits of 50.6%/39.3%/84.6%.[99] Following the season, he was named to the All-NBA First Team, earning selection to his first All-NBA team.[100]

2019–20 season: continued success and NBA Bubble comebacks

On November 8, 2019, Jokić made a game-winning jumper against the Philadelphia 76ers with 1.2 seconds remaining, to give the Nuggets a 98–97 victory, rallying from a 21-point deficit.[101] In the very next game, he hit yet another game-winning jumper, just two days later, in a 100–98 overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.[102] On January 6, 2020, Jokić scored a career-high 47 points against Atlanta Hawks in a 123–115 away win.[103] On February 4, he recorded 30 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 98–95 win over the Utah Jazz; it was the first 30/20/10 game by any NBA player in four years, and only the third since Abdul-Jabbar in 1976.[104] On January 30, Jokić was selected to his second consecutive All-Star nod,[105] becoming the first Nugget since Anthony in 2011 to have back-to-back honors.[106][107]

In the first round playoff series against the Utah Jazz, Jokić closed the series with a hook shot to break the 78–78 score into 80–78 with 27 seconds remaining in the game, winning the game for the Nuggets. He finished the game with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists.[108] On September 13, Jokić recorded 34 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists to lead Denver to a 111–98 Game 6 victory overcoming 19-point 2nd-half deficit.[109] On September 15, Jokić recorded a triple double with 16 points, 22 rebounds and 13 assists to lead Denver to a 104–89 Game 7 victory over the heavily favored Los Angeles Clippers. Jokić joined Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett as the only players in league history to post a 20-rebound triple-double in the postseason. With the win, the Nuggets became the first team in NBA history to comeback from multiple 3–1 deficits in a single postseason.[110] However, the Nuggets would go on to lose the Western Conference Finals in five games to the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, with Jokić recording 22 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in the lone Denver victory in Game 3.[111]

2020–21 season: MVP season

Jokić started off the season with 4 triple-doubles in his first 6 games, in one of which he recorded a career-high 18 assists, on December 29, 2020, against the Houston Rockets in a 124–111 win. Doing so, Jokić became the first center to record at least 18 assists in a game since Chamberlain in 1968.[112][113][114] On December 30, Jokić passed Fat Lever for most triple-doubles in Nuggets' franchise history in a 125–115 loss to the Sacramento Kings, which also saw him move up to 9th of all-time in career triple-doubles.[115][116] Jokić would continue his stellar play throughout the month of January, being awarded with back to back Western Conference Player of the Week awards, as well as being named the Western Conference Player of the Month, thus becoming the first Nuggets player to do so since Anthony.[117][118][119]

On February 6, Jokić scored a career-high 50 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, dished out 12 assists along with 3 blocks in a 119–114 loss to the Sacramento Kings. He set a franchise record for being the first Nuggets player with at least 50 points and 10 assists while also becoming the first center to do so since Abdul-Jabbar in 1975. He also joined Anthony and Allen Iverson as the only Nuggets players with more than 50 points scored in the past 20 seasons.[120][121][122] In addition, Jokić opened the season with 20 consecutive double-double games, putting him only behind Bill Walton (34 in 1976–77) since the American Basketball Association merged with the NBA in 1976.[123] Later that same month, Jokić was selected for his third consecutive All-Star appearance, this time as a starter, becoming the first Nuggets player to start in the All-Star game since Anthony in 2011, as well as joining Alex English and David Thomspon as the only Nuggets players to be selected to three straight NBA All-Star games.[124][125] On March 2, Jokić recorded his 50th career triple-double, with a stat-line of 37 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, in a 128–97 blow-out win on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks. He became only the ninth player in NBA history to record 50 career triple-doubles, as well as only the second center to do so behind Chamberlain. Jokić also became the third fastest player to reach 50 career triple-doubles, with only Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson doing it faster than him.[126][127][128]

On March 17, in a 129–104 win over the Charlotte Hornets, Jokić surpassed Dikembe Mutombo for most double-doubles in Nuggets' franchise history.[129] He would go on to be named Western Conference Player of the Month, for the second time, for games played in March. Doing so, he became the only Nuggets' player in franchise history to win the award twice in a single season.[130] On April 4, Jokić had 16 assists in a 119–109 win over the Orlando Magic. As a result, he marked his 81st career 10-assist game, passing Chamberlain for the most double-digit assist games by a center in NBA history.[131][132]

Despite an injury-laden regular season, Jokić led the Nuggets to a third seed in the Western Conference, boasting a record of 47–25. While playing and starting in every single game, he led the league in all the major advanced metrics intended to measure a player's value, such as player efficiency rating (PER), win shares, offensive win shares, box plus-minus, and value over replacement player (VORP).[133] Jokić also finished as the league leader in double-doubles, racking up 60 double-doubles on the year, while finishing second to Russell Westbrook for most triple-doubles on the season, with 16 triple-doubles of his own.[134] He joined Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook as the only players in NBA history to average 26+ points, 10+ rebounds and 8+ assists for an entire season, and officially became the first-ever player to do so on better than 52 percent shooting (making 56.6 percent of his field goal attempts).[1][135] As well, Jokić became just the third player in NBA history to finish a season ranked in the top five in total points (3rd), rebounds (5th), and assists (3rd), joining Elgin Baylor and Chamberlain (3x).[136][137][138]

In the first round of the playoffs, the Nuggets faced the Portland Trail Blazers. They would be without two of their best players, Jamal Murray and Will Barton, who were both out injured.[139] Nonetheless, Jokić continued his elite level of play throughout the series, averaging 33 points (on 50/40/90 shooting splits), 10.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists.[140] In Game 6, Jokić scored 27 of his 36 points in the second half to lead the Nuggets to a 126–115 series-clinching win.[139][140] Denver would match up against the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Semifinals.[141] In a Game 3 loss, Jokić tallied 32 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists, joining Abdul-Jabbar and Chamberlain as the only players in NBA playoff history to post a 30/20/10 game.[142] The Nuggets were eliminated from the playoffs in Game 4, with Jokić being ejected late in the third quarter after being assessed a flagrant foul two for making a hard swipe at the ball and catching the Suns' Cameron Payne in the face.[143][144] For the playoffs, he averaged 29.8 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game.[145]

For his regular season performance, Jokić won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award; in doing so, he became the first center to win the award since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000[146] as well as the first player in Denver Nuggets franchise history.[147] He also became the first Serbian player,[147] third European player overall, and sixth international player to ever win the award.[a] Having been selected 41st overall in the 2014 NBA draft, Jokić became the lowest-drafted player in NBA history to be named MVP, as well as the first-ever player to be drafted in the second round of the common draft era (since 1966) to win the award.[147][146][148] In addition, Jokić and Vasilije Micić became the first-ever pair of players from the same country to be awarded both NBA MVP and EuroLeague MVP honors in the same season.[149][150]

2021–22 season

On December 6, 2021, Jokić recorded his 60th triple-double, in a 109–97 loss to the Chicago Bulls, overtaking Larry Bird for 8th on the all time career triple-double list.[151][152][153] The following game, Jokić scored 11 of his season-high 39 points in overtime to go with his 11 assists and 11 rebounds on 17-of-23 shooting from the field as the Denver Nuggets beat the New Orleans Pelicans.[154] On December 11, Jokić scored 35 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, dished out 8 assists along with 2 blocks in a 127–112 win against the San Antonio Spurs.[155] On December 13, Jokić scored 28 points, grabbed 19 rebounds, delivered 9 assists along with 3 steals in a 113–107 win over the Washington Wizards.[156] On December 15, 2021, Jokić recorded his 63rd triple-double, in a 124–107 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, overtaking James Harden for 7th on the all time career triple-double list.[157] On December 23, against the Charlotte Hornets, Jokić had 29 points, 21 rebounds and 5 assists in a 115–107 loss.[158] The following game, Jokić tied his career best with 22 rebounds and added 26 points, 8 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in a 103–100 win against the Los Angeles Clippers.[159] He also became the first player to record 25-plus points, 20-plus rebounds and 5-plus assists in consecutive games since Charles Barkley in 1988.[160]

National team career

See also: 2016 Serbia men's Olympic basketball team and 2019 Serbia FIBA Basketball World Cup team

Junior national team

Jokić was a member of the Serbian U-19 national basketball team that won the silver medal at the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship. Over eight tournament games, he averaged 7.1 points, 5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.[161] He represented Serbia at the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade, where he earned tournament MVP honors while averaging 17.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.[162]

Senior national team

Jokić defending Kevin Durant at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Serbia won the silver medal, after losing to the United States in the final game 96–66.[163]

On May 24, 2019, Jokić announced he would play for Serbia at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.[164] At the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the national team of Serbia was dubbed as favorite to win the trophy,[165] but was eventually upset in the quarterfinals by Argentina.[166] With wins over the United States and Czech Republic, it finished in fifth place.[167][168] Jokić was the second-best player on the team behind Bogdan Bogdanović, averaging 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists over eight games, while shooting 68.0% from the field.

Player profile

Standing 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 m) and weighing 284 pounds (129 kg), Jokić plays exclusively at the center position.[169] Through the 2020–21 season, Jokić's career averages are 18.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game.[169]

Jokić is considered by many to be the greatest passing big man in NBA history. As a playmaker, Jokić uses his size and vision to set up his teammates for scores, often through a variety of no looks and unique deliveries.[170][171][172] His techniques, in particular his one-handed passes, have drawn comparisons to those of a water polo player.[173] Playing at a slow and deliberate pace, Jokić often pauses upon receiving the ball to survey the floor for defensive mistakes and potential openings.[174]

In addition to his playmaking ability, Jokić is also a versatile scorer, capable of effectively finishing in the paint as well as hitting jump shots from midrange and the three-point arc.[170][175][176] During his MVP season, Jokić shot .566 from the field and .388 from 3-point range.[169] His signature move, the "Sombor Shuffle" (coined by Nuggets play-by-play announcer Chris Marlowe after Jokić's hometown of Sombor), involves jumping off his right foot before launching a high-arching fadeaway. Jokić developed the move during his recovery from an ankle injury in 2017. The unorthodox move is difficult to contest and has drawn comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki's one-legged fadeaway.[177][178][179]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 *  Led the league

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Denver 80 55 21.7 .512 .333 .811 7.0 2.4 1.0 .6 10.0
2016–17 Denver 73 59 27.9 .577 .324 .825 9.8 4.9 .8 .8 16.7
2017–18 Denver 75 73 32.6 .500 .396 .850 10.7 6.1 1.2 .8 18.5
2018–19 Denver 80 80 31.3 .511 .307 .821 10.8 7.3 1.4 .7 20.1
2019–20 Denver 73 73* 32.0 .528 .314 .817 9.7 7.0 1.2 .6 19.9
2020–21 Denver 72* 72* 34.6 .566 .388 .868 10.8 8.3 1.3 .7 26.4
Career 453 412 29.9 .533 .347 .835 9.8 6.0 1.1 .7 18.5
All-Star 3 1 14.7 .667 .333 — 6.0 2.0 .3 .3 5.7

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019 Denver 14 14 39.8 .506 .393 .846 13.0 8.4 1.1 .9 25.1
2020 Denver 19 19 36.5 .519 .429 .835 9.8 5.7 1.1 .8 24.4
2021 Denver 10 10 34.5 .509 .377 .836 11.6 5.0 .6 .9 29.8
Career 43 43 37.1 .512 .406 .840 11.3 6.4 1.0 .9 25.9

Personal life

During Jokić's early years in Denver, he lived in a shared apartment with his then girlfriend and his two older brothers, Nemanja (b. 1984) and Strahinja (b. 1982).[180][181] Jokić married his longtime girlfriend Natalija Mačešić on October 24, 2020 in his hometown of Sombor.[182] Together they have a daughter Ognjena (b. 2021).[183][184]

Jokić tested positive for the COVID-19 on June 23, 2020.[185] He tested negative after two weeks in quarantine.[186]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Other European winners include Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece);[147] other international winners were Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria), Tim Duncan (U.S. Virgin Islands) and Steve Nash (Canada).[146][148]

References

  1. ^ a b "Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokić named NBA's Most Valuable Player". Denver Nuggets.
  2. ^ "Nikola Jokic ties Bob Cousy for 10th place in all-time triple-double list". eurohoops.net. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
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