Nikola Jokic may have lost the MVP race last season, but the majority of fans and experts widely recognize the Denver Nuggets superstar as the best player in the NBA. What’s even crazier is to think that the three-time MVP doesn’t look at basketball as his first love. Instead, the sport may be at the bottom of the totem pole of his passions. As a result, former Nuggets teammate, DeMarcus Cousins believes to have the outline of what Jokic’s life will look like once he steps away from the NBA.
Advertisement
Does Jokic love basketball? Of course he does. Frankly, someone can’t become as good as he is if he didn’t have some sort of passion toward it. Now the question becomes, how much does Jokic love basketball?
As of late, the discussion has resurfaced amongst NBA fans and Jokic’s reaction to his horse winning a race has opened the floodgates of opinions. The Serbian star could be found shedding tears of joy after the race.
In comparison to his reaction after the Nuggets won the 2023 NBA championship shows a different shade of celebration.
Jokic celebrating an NBA Championship vs his horse winning a race pic.twitter.com/b1m5mvEdrw
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) July 27, 2025
Many people make assumptions about Jokic’s feelings toward basketball. Cousins, on the other hand, had the opportunity to learn firsthand how Jokic truly feels about basketball.
“[Jokic] will let you know off rip that he really don’t give a f*** about this s***,” Cousins said on the Straight Game Podcast. “This is like his second or third favorite thing to do. Maybe third or fourth.”
It’s hard to believe, but Cousins is a trustworthy source since he shared the court with Jokic during the 2021-22 season. The two were locker neighbours. During one of their numerous exchanges, Jokic dropped a massive bomb hinting at his potential future to Cousins.
“He was like, ‘I honestly think I might retire after this contract.’ I said, ‘And leave $300 million on the table? Man, you are out of your mind,'” Cousins said.
In hindsight, Jokic did not follow through with what Cousins claims he told him. In July of 2022, Jokic signed a five-year $276 million contract extension. Although the timeline of when his retirement could come remains a mystery, what he will do once that time comes may have been revealed.
“He’s like, ‘I just want to go lay out there with my horses,'” Cousins revealed. Despite Jokic’s clear love for his horses, Cousins implored the seven-time All-Star to secure a massive contract. The horses will always be there, but the opportunity to earn life-changing money won’t.
As things currently stand, Jokic doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Will the 30-year-old continue playing until he’s 40 like LeBron James? All the signs point to the answer being nope. Regardless, he still has his sights set on winning more NBA championships.
