Nikola Jokic arrived in the NBA in 2015 after impressing in the ABA, a league comprising 14 European teams. The Denver Nuggets drafted the promising Serbian in 2014 in the first round (41st overall), but he arrived a year later. Jokic quickly made an impression in his rookie year, finishing third in ROTY standings, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Over the last decade or so, Jokic has established himself as one of the stalwarts of modern-day NBA. 8x All-Star appearances, three league MVPs, and one NBA championship later, the 31-year-old is arguably the greatest player to put on a Nuggets jersey. Since winning his maiden championship ring in 2023, Jokic has maintained that he wants to be in Denver forever. He reiterated those sentiments in an emotional interview that was released earlier today.

“I wouldn’t like to imagine that,” Jokic said on the X&O’s chat show. “Even if we never win anything else after this, an organic title, it means more to me than anything. I really found peace here. My two kids were born here. Everyone’s here. Peace, home, I found my life here. And I like life here. I don’t feel the need, I don’t have the urge to. We built something here, together as a team.”

Over the last 11 seasons, Nikola Jokic has transformed the Nuggets into a powerhouse. He’s the franchise’s all-time leader in assists, triple-doubles, and other advanced metrics.

In 793 career games, Jokic is averaging 22.2 PPG, 11 RPG, and 7.4 APG. His partnership with Jamal Murray has been pivotal to the team’s success, as has HC David Adelman’s leadership.

Nikola Jokic Reasserts His Desire to Keep Winning with the Nuggets

The 5x Serbian player of the year shows no signs of slowing down this campaign. He’s averaging 28.8 points, 12.5 total rebounds, and 10.3 assists across 48 games. The Nuggets remain underdogs to pull off a deep playoff run, having lost to OKC in the Western Conference semifinals last season.

Jokic’s hunger for the game is often a topic for discussion in online forums. Some fans feel his love for horses trumps his love for basketball, but that’s something the Nuggets great doesn’t agree with.

“Winning motivates me. Playing well motivates me. A good routine motivates me. A good weight room motivates me….I want to play as long as I can. As long as I’m creating an advantage and I can play at the highest level,” Jokic went on to add.

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The Nuggets are currently the sixth seed (39-25) in the West, on par with the Los Angeles Lakers. They take on OKC on Monday and will look to bounce back from last weekend’s humbling 103-142 loss to the New York Knicks.

Bookmakers definitely don’t rank the Nuggets as favorites to win the championship this campaign, but you can never write them off, especially with Jokic firing on all cylinders. ‘Playoff Joker’ is a different beast altogether.