Nikola Jokić is not the fastest or the strongest player in the NBA. He does not jump high, and he often looks tired during games. But no one understands the game like he does. And in 2023, he became the best player in the world when he led the Denver Nuggets to their first NBA championship.
Let’s go back to where it all started.
- Nikola Jokić became the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double in the NBA Finals, leading the Denver Nuggets to their first championship in 2023.
- Jokić was drafted 41st overall in 2014, slept through the announcement, and went on to win two MVP awards and a Finals MVP, proving that greatness can come from unexpected places.
- Known for his high basketball IQ and leadership, Jokić consistently improves teammates’ performance, creating what’s widely known as “The Jokić Bump.”
The Beginning: From Sombor, Serbia
Nikola Jokić was born in Sombor, Serbia, a small town that most basketball fans had never heard of. He lived in a small apartment with his parents, two older brothers, and grandmother. His father was an agricultural engineer. Life was not easy. He grew up during the Yugoslav Wars and sometimes had to hide in bomb shelters. At that time, basketball was not necessary—survival was.
Even so, Jokić started playing basketball with his brothers, Strahinja and Nemanja. He was younger and smaller, but he kept playing. Eventually, he joined Mega Basket, a Serbian club in the Adriatic League. He played there for three seasons and kept improving. In his final season in 2015, he averaged 15.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. That same year, he was named the ABA League MVP and Top Prospect.
Drafted by the Nuggets While Asleep
Because of his performance, NBA scouts noticed him. In the 2014 NBA Draft, the Denver Nuggets selected him with the 41st overall pick. Jokić was not watching. He was asleep in Sombor when his name was called.
He joined the Nuggets a year later for the 2015–2016 season. As a rookie, he averaged 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. He made the All-Rookie First Team. People started calling him “The Joker” for his humor and style of play.
Rapid Rise and Breaking Records
In his second season, he averaged 16.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists. He recorded six triple-doubles, something no center had done since David Robinson in 1993–94. In his third season, he averaged 20.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists. He helped the Nuggets reach the playoffs for the first time since 2013. That year, he tied Wilt Chamberlain’s record for most triple-doubles in a season by a center, twelve in total.
By the 2020 playoffs, Jokić was already one of the best players in the league. He led the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals by coming back from two 3-1 deficits against the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers. No other team had ever done that in the same postseason. Jokić averaged 24.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists.
Winning the MVP and a Championship
In 2021, Jokić became the first center since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000 to win the MVP award. He averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists while playing in all 72 games. He shot 56.6% from the field and 38.8% from three-point range. He won the MVP again the next season.
In 2023, he led the Nuggets to the best record in franchise history, finishing with a 58-14 regular season. During the playoffs, he averaged 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. The Nuggets beat the Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, and finally, the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
The Nuggets won the title in five games. Jokić became the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double in the Finals. He also became the first center since Tim Duncan in 2003 to win Finals MVP. His numbers in the Finals were 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists per game.
That Championship Moment
As the final buzzer sounded, Jokić didn’t jump or scream. He rather shook hands with the Heat players and even held some of their heads in his large hands. He wiped his face with a towel as confetti fell. Then, Lisa Salters from ESPN walked up to interview him. Jokić, almost seven feet tall, bent his head to listen.
The story is even more unbelievable when you remember what Serbian agent Misko Raznatovic posted after the Finals. He shared a photo of five-year-old Jokić wearing a Nuggets sweatshirt.
He wrote, “Back in 2000, when this photo was taken, [Jokić] he is wearing a Nuggets sweatshirt — not because he loved basketball or even knew about the Nuggets — but because he got it as a present. Chances of a kid from a small Serbian town having a sweatshirt from a lesser-known American team back in 2000 were minimal, but chances of that same kid growing up to play basketball and achieve his career high, win two MVP titles, and sign a historic agreement with the same club whose sweatshirt he wore at age 5, were — zero.”
The Jokić Bump: How He Improves Everyone
Nikola Jokić also improves his teammates. People call this “The Jokić Bump.” That means players get better just by playing with him.
Christian Braun learned this quickly. During his rookie season, he didn’t take stretching seriously. He would joke and talk while lying on the floor. One day, Jokić walked over, picked up Braun’s mat, moved it next to his own, and said, “You’re gonna do this every day. Right here.”
Since then, Braun stretches next to Jokić before every practice. They race down the court after warmups. Braun doesn’t talk until stretching is done. He said, “It can save your career. Your body is your tool, and he had to understand that he’s young and stuff, but I think a routine is something that you’re doing over the course of time.”
In 2024–25, Braun had his best season ever. He set career highs in points, rebounds, and assists. He led the league in fast-break points. Jokić assisted Braun on 168 baskets that season, the second-most of any duo in the league. The only pair ahead of them was James Harden and Ivica Zubac of the Clippers.
Braun said, “It’s all credit to Nikola. He’ll grab you during the game, and he’ll tell you, ‘I want you here because they’re gonna do this.’ He’ll know three steps ahead.”
Jokić’s Leadership Without Words
Jokić doesn’t talk much, but his actions teach. During a game, when Bruce Brown yelled “Wolf! Wolf!” to signal a double-team, Jokić didn’t pass. Instead, he threw the ball out of bounds. Later, he told Brown, “Don’t cut. I’m listening to your voice.”
Monte Morris said Jokić communicates with his eyes. He explained, “He’ll just put his eyes up big.” That meant it was time to cut.
Bogdan Bogdanović, who played with Jokić on the Serbian national team, said Jokić always tells him, “Steal every second of the game.” That means always thinking fast, even right after a rebound. Bogdanović said, “It’s just pop, fast. Two, three seconds to bring the ball up. It’s constantly thinking.”
Isaiah Hartenstein played with Jokić in 2020–21. He followed him around, asking questions. He said, “(Jokić) is really open. He’s not gonna come to you and tell you, ‘Hey, you should do this.’ But when you ask him questions, he’ll really take time and go through it with you.”
Jokić even draws up plays during games. He did it in Denver, and he also did it with Serbia. He keeps plays simple and uses each teammate in the best way. Bogdanović said, “He understands who can understand what.”
When the game is over, Jokić doesn’t stop. He follows a strict routine—ice bath, training table, weight room. Morris followed him once and said, “I’m like, he’s the MVP. Let me try his method.” He kept doing it even after leaving Denver. Braun now follows the same routine.
Braun said, “That is somebody I wanna be like. There’s a reason why he’s successful, and I wanna be successful, too. So, why not try to mirror that?”
