Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić has given fans another classic quote suggesting ambivalence regarding basketball, despite being, you know, really good at it.
During a chat with media on Monday, Oct. 2, the 2023 NBA Finals MVP was asked if his summer back home in Serbia was the most fun he's ever had following the Nuggets' victory. "I think it's actually the opposite," he replied, to which he was met with laughs. "Because we played two [and a] half extra months, and recovering and everything."
The typical response from Jokić has prompted some reactions on X, formerly Twitter. "N***a got the reverse mamba mentality," joked one person in a tweet. "Our greatest active bit is that the best basketball player on earth can barely tolerate the sport," added another.
Earlier this year, he appeared to express dismay when he found out that he had to participate in the Nuggets' championship parade. "It's good. It's good," he told ESPN's sideline reporter Lisa Salters when asked about the Nuggets' win. "The job is done, and we can go home now." In a post-game conference, he was asked if he was excited about the upcoming parade and responded by asking when it was taking place. He was informed it wasn't until later in the week, and he defeatedly added, "No, I need to go home."
Just days later, he admitted he lost his Finals MVP trophy briefly. "I really don't know. I left it in [equipment manager Sparky Gonzales’] room and it’s not there anymore," he said when asked where it was. "So, I don’t know. But hopefully it can arrive in my house.” Elsewhere in the interview, he also implied that basketball wasn't his main priority in life. "Basketball is not the main thing in my life. It’s something that I’m good at,” he shared. "They didn’t believe in the fat boy. It seems like it worked out. Don’t bet against the fat boy.”
