Nikola Jokic is a Serbian basketball player, who plays in the NBA for the Denver Nuggets as a center. The Nuggets drafted Nikola Jokic as the 41st overall pick in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft. Since joining the Nuggets, he is the most prolific player for them. No one would’ve thought a 41st pick in the 2nd round would cause havoc in the league.
Jokic is a highly decorated player for the Nuggets and has stayed with the Denver outfit since 2014. He signed a supermax deal, which sees him earn a whopping $264 million in 5 seasons. Jokic is the second-highest earner in the NBA and it is justified. He is the reigning defending MVP for the last 2 seasons. This year he faces serious competition from the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic.
Nikola Jokic signs historic 5-year extension with Nuggets
A record $264 million supermax contract extension, the 2-time Kia MVP is locked in with Denver through the 2027-28 season 💵#BlockSports #NBA #Jokic #DenverNuggets pic.twitter.com/9ELxX3oULO
— BlockSports (@Blockbetsports) July 11, 2022
With Luka Doncic hogging all the spotlight, Nikola Jokic is having an underrated season with the Nuggets. Jokic put up his 16th triple-double game against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Serbian is famously known as “The Joker” by many players and fans alike. However, he is no joke when it comes to the game of basketball. Jokic has had successful playoff runs in the past seasons with the Nuggets.
Jokic this season is averaging 25.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 10.0 assists. Despite having a quiet season, his stats are impressive and it is starting to get attention from the fans. Jokic is 16th in the scoring leaderboard, but he is 2nd and 6th in assists, and rebounds per game. Scoring may not be his forte but his playmaking abilities and defensive capabilities have been impressive. This season, the Nuggets will likely go deep into the playoffs.
How did Nikola Jokic get the nickname “The Joker”?
Nikola Jokic is called the Joker since 2017. One may look at Jokic and think of him as a serious guy, but in fact, he is a funny guy. According to Bleacher Report, his former teammate, Mike Miller gave him the nickname, “The Joker” in a practice. Mike faced trouble pronouncing his last name, Miller used to pronounce it as “Yo-kitch.” Jokic even mentioned that he loves this nickname more than his previous nickname, “Big Honey.”
July 2018:
▫️ Nikola Jokic signs 5-year max-contract with the Nuggets
▫️ Nuggets haven’t made the playoffs in 5 seasons
▫️ No Nuggets player has won MVPJuly 2022:
▫️ Nikola Jokic is a 2-time MVP winner
▫️ Nuggets have made 4 straight playoff appearances pic.twitter.com/2mqcnjdiCO— Karan (@karanjn2) July 5, 2022
The Joker and the Denver Nuggets are leading the way, far from the crowd in the Western Conference. Surprisingly, he is the only second-round player to ever win the MVP, now he will be hoping to put pressure on the Greek Freak and runaway leader Luka Doncic, to retain his title.
