Nikola Jokic Shuts Down Narrative That He Doesn’t Care, Makes His Love for Basketball Known

Not many foresaw Nikola Jokic becoming the NBA’s best player when the Denver Nuggets selected him late in the second round of the 2014 Draft, but his growth has been astronomical. He has since become a three-time MVP and led the Nuggets to a championship in 2023, even as some continue to question how much he cares about the sport as a whole. Jokic does not take kindly to that perception.

After securing a ring in 2023, Jokic famously told a reporter “The job is done. We can finally go home.” Many saw it as a fierce competitor just being elated that he finally accomplished this difficult goal, but some frowned upon his answer, claiming that he should have expressed more joy for the accolade.

That narrative, however, was obviously untrue. Jokic stated in the past that he just processes success differently. The Joker clarified this again during a recent interview with Malika Andrews, and put a nail in the coffin of the haters who say otherwise.

“I care a lot. I think if you don’t care for winning you’re not supposed to be in this sport. Just my personality, maybe a little bit it’s different where I accept victories and I accept success in different ways,” the Serbian stated.

Just because Jokic likes to be on his farm and watch his horses race doesn’t mean he doesn’t love grinding it out on the hardwood. It is just another aspect of the social media age. A rumor starts, and before it can be determined how or why, millions of people have read it and assumed it to be true. Jokic most likely does not care, but he wanted to set the record straight once and for all.

“I think I care about basketball. I love to play basketball. I enjoy it. I enjoy competing. Maybe just accepting the success or defeat or not success differently,” he added.

“There’s a lot of people who say, ‘well how much does he care?'”—@malika_andrews

“I care a lot. … I think if you don’t care for winning you’re not supposed to be in this sport.”—Nikola Jokić pic.twitter.com/oASUyjZSCf

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 18, 2026

Hopefully that was loud enough for those in the back. The fact that he even has to say this is annoying. Jokic puts up triple-doubles on a nightly basis. No one with that level of aura and skill plays that hard without loving the game.

At some point, we have to stop confusing personality with passion. The Nuggets center does not scream into cameras or chase viral moments. He just goes out, dismantles teams, and then heads home like it is another day at the office. That is not a lack of love for the game. That is simply who he is.

And honestly, in a league obsessed with optics, there is something refreshing about a superstar who lets his play do all the talking. If this is what “not caring” looks like, the rest of the NBA should be worried.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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