The Denver Nuggets are now one win away from being crowned the 2023 NBA Champions. Following a dominant 108-95 Game 4 win against the Miami Heat, Nikola Jokic and Co have taken a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals and now face a historic opportunity to win the franchise’s first-ever title at home. The Joker isn’t the only Serbian who has been excelling in the sports world lately. Tennis sensation Novak Djokovic recently defeated Carlos Alcaraz to enter the 2023 French Open Final as well. Similar to Jokic, Djokovic also has a chance to create history by becoming the only 23-time Grand Slam Champion in Men’s tennis history. While they’ve been extremely busy with their hectic schedules, the two fellow countrymen have taken out some time to cheer each other on.
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Novak Djokovic recorded a historic 4-set win against the Spanish youngster in the semifinal clash. On the other hand, the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player recorded a 23-point, 12-rebound outing in his recent win at the Kaseya Center. It must be surreal for Serbian fans to have two athletes represent their country at the world’s highest stage in two separate competitions despite having a population of only seven million people.
Following the victory, the 6-foot-11 big man had some words of adulation for his Serbian countryman.
Nikola Jokic honors Novak Djokovic as the Serbian duo brace for history
In the postgame interview, the 5-time All-Star lauded the World No. 3 tennis player. Feeling “honored” about Djoko being his countryman, Jokic spoke highly of the 36-year-old.
“He’s amazing, of course, in his sport. And he’s making history. Probably he’s going to go as one of the best ever, if not the best ever. He has a nice opportunity to win another one. He’s just an amazing sport and having him as a countryman, that he represents us in the world, I think it’s a great honor. I think the people in Serbia are really happy that we have him as our countryman.”
We’ve already heard the two communicate their thoughts on each other through all of their interviews. But the Joker also revealed that they have been exchanging congratulatory texts.
While the Nuggets star isn’t active on Instagram, the tennis legend has often posted about the former’s success on his Instagram stories.
Set to face Casper Ruud in the final, several pundits are expecting Novak Djokovic to defeat the Norwegian easily. Djoko will enter the bout as the favorite to win Roland Garros and will be hoping to add a 23rd Grand Slam trophy to his resume.
The Joker aims to become the 5th Serbian to win an NBA championship
Out of the 30 Serbian nationals who have set foot on the NBA hardwood, only four were able to be part of a championship-winning squad.
After Darko Milicic won with the Detroit Pistons in 2004, Predrag Stojaković, Ognjen Kuzmić, and Nemanja Bjelica won the title in 2011, 2015, and 2022, respectively.
On track to join this group, Jokic will become the only Serb to win the title as the leader of the Championship squad. Averaging 30.8/13.5/8, so far, in the NBA Finals, the Joker is even the favorite to win the Bill Russell Finals MVP trophy.
