Over the past three seasons, Nikola Jokic has cemented himself as a formidable force in the NBA. He is a two-time league MVP, an NBA champion, and a Finals MVP, exemplifying his career growth. Before coming to the NBA, Jokic barely spoke English or knew about the United States. However, long before the Joker’s rise, former Denver Nuggets Jameer Nelson predicted that the Serb would have an eventual massive rise to superstardom.
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In this new era of the NBA, international stars have found great success after entering the league. Players such as Dirk Nowitzki, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic have also gained significant praise for their performance. Several European players are starting to dominate the league, bringing a whole new outlook to the NBA. In the case of Joker, Jameer Nelson knew that he was going to be a big star in the league.
Former Denver Nuggets player Jameer Nelson predicted Nikola Jokic’s rise
Jameer Nelson, who played for the Nuggets from 2015 to 2017, had some kind words to spare for his Nuggets teammate Nikola Jokic. Since his nascent beginnings in the NBA, the Joker has built his way up as an all-time great player. In an appearance in the Knuckleheads Podcast, Nelson narrated a story predicting the stardom of the Serb way before his all-time career. Here is what Nelson had to say about Jokic.
“When I had at that team, Denver, in Philly, they called me. I did not allow team personells to come. Only the trainers and the coach, nobody else. So Joker, he gets drafted, and they asked me ‘Who’s the best player?’ I said, the foreign dude. I said when he learn english, he’s gonna be an All-Star. They were like ‘What?’ They were like that I was crazy. His IQ was like different. What you saw in practice was way better than what you saw in games.”
Former Nugget and Joker teammate Jameer Nelson talks Nikola Jokic.
"What you saw in practice was way better than what you saw in games." pic.twitter.com/jMhRsqtltq
— n i k o l a e s t h e t i c (@nikolaesthetic) August 24, 2023
During his formative years in the NBA, Jokic showed many flashes of his current All-Star self. At that time, Jokic’s position as a center was compromised against Jusuf Nurkic, another promising international prospect for the Nuggets. However, after Nurkic was traded to the Blazers, it allowed Jokic to blossom as per his true potential.
In his early seasons, Jokic averaged around 10 to 20 points per game, along with 2 to 3 assists per game. However, since his breakout 2018-19 season in the NBA, Jokic’s stats have averaged beyond 20, with him having 27.1 points, 9.8 assists, and 7.9 rebounds in the 2021-22 season.
In his NBA championship season, Jokic scored 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game. These figures make us believe in Jokic’s potential as an all-time great in the NBA.
Apart from basketball, Jokic also has interests in other arenas, horse racing being one of them.
Nikola Jokic invited teammate Aaron Gordon for a family race
For Nikola Jokic, basketball is just another day job, like anybody else. But that does not diminish his passion for the sport. However, the one sport that interests the Joker most is horse racing. In his post-game conference, after winning the NBA championship, Jokic expressed his delight for finally being able to watch horse races in the off-season.
Very recently, Jokic invited his fellow NBA colleague Aaron Gordon to watch a horse race in his Serbian hometown. Their off-season was spent quite well, with the two Nuggets stars enjoying their time amidst horses. Jokic bought his first horse in 2016 called “Dream Catcher.” After such a historic season, it’s worth it for the Nuggets stars to enjoy their time doing what they love.
