Nikola Jokic’s biography

What is Nikola Jokic Famous For?

Jokic is famous as a center/power player for the Denver Nuggets of the NBA(National Basketball Association). He is known to be a unique player having the capability of raising a franchise’s ceiling.

Where was Nikola Jokic Born?

Nikola Jokic was born on 19th February 1995 in Sombor, Serbia, FR Yugoslavia. His birth name is also Nikola Jokic. His nationality is Serbian with Pisces as his zodiac sign.

Nikola Jokic is the youngest child of his parents. He has two elder brothers: Strahinja Jokic and Nemanja Jokic where Strahinja is the oldest brother and they both are big fans of the basketball game. Even, Nemanja played college basketball at the “University of Detroit Mercy”. Both of his brothers are close friends to former NBA player Darko Milicic.

Raised in a small town located in the northwest of Serbia, Nikola spent a great deal of time riding horses and shooting hoops. Like his older brothers who played basketball,  it was only natural for the sport to grab his interest. He became known as a basketballer in his hometown and that marked the beginning of his career.

Nikola Jokic’s Professional Career

In 2012, at the age of 16, Jokic joined the Belgrade-based basketball team, “Mega Viruza” and appeared for the team in both the “Adriatic League” and the “Serbian League”.

Nikola spent his first season with Mega, playing for its junior team(2012-2013) but his performance made it possible for him to become a regular feature in the senior team the next season.

It is on record that he averaged 2.5 assists, 6.4 rebounds, and 11.4 points for each game he played for the team between 2012 and 2015. In 2015, Jokic received the “Adriatic League Top Prospect” award and was equally honored as the “League’s Most Valuable Player”.

Nikola Jokić’s NBA journey started on June 26, 2014, after he was picked by the Denver Nuggets with the 41st overall selection of the 2014 NBA Draft. He wasted no time in proving his worth one season later when he started playing for the team in 2015. On July 28, 2015, Jokic signed a contract with the Nuggets after averaging 8.0 points and 6.2 rebounds in five summer league games for the team.

For Jokic’s remarkable rookie campaign, he was named to the “NBA All-Rookie First Team” of 2016. In addition to that, Nikola was able to emerge third in the voting for the “NBA Rookie of the Year Award”.

The Serbian player Jokic didn’t let his high bar let go. In the next season, among all other things, he pulled off six triple-doubles and was voted a runner-up for the 2017 NBA “Most Improved Player Award”.

That’s not all, he was equally a runner-up for the “Assist of the Year honor”. In the 2017-18 season, Nikola pulled off the “Fastest triple-double” in the league’s history in 14 min and 33 sec, besting Jim Tucker’s Previous record of 17 min in 1995.

Disregarding this, he has been crowned the “Western Conference Player of the Week” a handful of times. Owing to this, it wasn’t a surprise when the Nuggets decided sometime in July 2018 to hand the centerman a five-year deal extension worth $148 million.

Jokic also became just the second Nugget to record a triple-double in the first two games of the season, joining Fat Lever. For his efforts in 2018, he was recognized as the “Serbian Player of the Year” by the Basketball Federation of Serbia.

On January 13, 2019, he scored a season-high 40 points in a 116–113 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. And on January 31, he received his first All-Star selection as a Western Conference reserve for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game, becoming the Nuggets’

first All-Star since Carmelo Anthony in 2011. And in Game 1 of the Nuggets’ first-round playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs, Jokić became the fourth player in NBA history to record a triple-double in his playoff debut and the first since LeBron James in 2006.

Nikola Jokic’s National Team Career

Nikola Jokic was a member of the “Serbian U-19 National Basketball team” before that won the silver medal at the 2013 “FIBA Under-19 World Championship”. Over eight tournament games, he averaged 7.1 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.

Jokic represented Serbia at the 2016 “FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament” in Belgrade, where he averaged 17.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game and earned tournament MVP honors. And at the 2016 Summer Olympics, the Serbian Basketball Team won the silver medal.

Who is Nikola Jokic Dating?

Apparently, Nikola Jokic is in a relationship with Natalijia Macesic. Jokic brothers are inseparable as they together live in a three-bedroom apartment in Denver along with Nikola’s girlfriend.

Jokic in real life is a goofy, self-deprecating, and light-hearted person who loves sports loves to have fun, and doesn’t want any workouts. This personality is still embedded within him even if he’s now a world-class athlete.

How Tall is Nikola Jokic?

Nikola has a perfect body build that makes him stand out in the crowd. Nikola stands at a height of 7ft (2.13m). He has a body weight of 113.4kg (250lbs). He has a fair complexion with short hair.

How much does Nikola Jokic Earn?

The Serbian player Jokic, one of the outstanding players of the NBA has an estimated net worth of $25.47 million USD.

Currently, Jokic is the NBA’s 23rd best-paid player who will be the 20th best-paid player next year and 3rd best-paid center player

and will be the 2nd best-paid center player of the Denver Nuggets next year.

 Career Highlights and Awards of Nikola Jokic

1. Silver Medal for Serbian National Basketball Team

a) 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship

b) 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

2. ABA League Top Prospect(2015)

3. Adriatic League MVP(2015)

4. NBA All-Rookie First Team(2016)

5. Serbian Player of the Year(2018)

6. NBA All-Star(2019)