Nikola Joki: Decoding the Path to NBA Stardom

On the Denver Nuggets, All-NBA Center Nikola Jokić has taken a singular road to NBA stardom .

This Fan Arch feature takes you on a deep dive into how Jokić has become the preeminent player in the basketball world as a Denver Nugget and an encyclopedic account of his incredible rise to the top. 

The Unprecedented Growth

Unconventional Beginnings

Search Icon Nikola Jokić did not take a traditional route to NBA stardom.

The 41st pick in the 2014 NBA draft, his first moments in the league were marked by doubt and hesitancy.

Overcoming Obstacles

Even after that, Jokić's willingness to fight and stick to his guns helped him rise above situations in which he was "stashed" overseas and red-shirted during his rookie year.

The man skyrocketed from the fifth or sixth big man on the roster to the double NBA MVP he'd end up being thanks to his work ethic and talent.

Best Denver Nuggets Center of All Time

Stellar Performances

Jokić and his effect on the Denver Nuggets are nothing short of phenomenal.

The pairing of him and star point guard Jamal Murray morphed into a potent core of the team, resulting in the franchise's first championship victory in the 2023 NBA Finals.

He now has a Finals MVP, a Western Conference Finals MVP, 2 regular-season MVP awards, etc. Jokic just set a new bar for what excellence in the NBA looks like.

The Sad Reality of Fame

Candid Thoughts

Much of this is rooted in Jokić's dislike of the high-profile existence that comes with being the MVP.

He said in a poignant remark, "I think some people enjoy being famous. I don't, really. When I'm done playing, I really hope no one remembers me, I hope my kid, or kids in the future, just remember me as a dad, not as a basketball player."

Anchored by Family

Family has been an X factor in Jokic's rise to prominence.

He is a father, since his daughter was born in 2021, as well as a husband since he married Natalija, a man who started to finally live beyond the world of basketball.

Modest Ambitions

The humility that shapes his character is evident in his modest wishes two days before he approaches his 29th year, when Jokić expresses a desire for health for his family and for his horses to win, before explaining how they should, in any case, revel in their feats.

On the whole

The story of Nikola Jokić in the NBA is one that proves that there really is something out of the ordinary in both his work ethic, humility and commitment to keep learning and becoming someone out of this world.

Jokić's journey from unconventional origin tales to otherworldly performances in the NBA arguably makes for one of the most wholesome success stories in basketball.

And as long as he continues to write his name across the history of the NBA playoffs, he remains humanity beautifully imperfect, more like us than any of the other-worldly talents we watch on the court, his legacy live long before his name is etched in the Hall of Fame alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Jordan-family, humility, pursuit of greatness.

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