Latest news with #Jokic
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
See Nuggets' Nikola Jokic in literal tears after horse race
The post See Nuggets' Nikola Jokic in literal tears after horse race appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Denver Nuggets have been busy this offseason, adding Cam Johnson, Bruce Brown, and Tim Hardaway Jr. to try to give Nikola Jokic some much-needed shooting and secondary playmaking. Meanwhile, Jokic himself has also been busy, but not necessarily playing basketball (although there's probably also been plenty of that). Recently, video surfaced of Jokic racing horses in his native Serbia, and after his horse won, Jokic showed perhaps more emotion than he's ever displayed on an NBA court. (per MrBuckBuck on X, formerly Twitter, via Arena Sport TV). The moment quickly went viral on social media. 'Dude celebrated this more than a championship LMAOOOO,' wrote one user. Another added that Jokic 'can't wait to retire from his side gig that pays the bills and focus on his true love, he's gonna retire the second his prime is done.' Jokic has long been known for his love of racing horses during the offseason back home in Serbia, with some noting that he tends to become much more visibly excited about that sport than he was when he won the NBA championship in 2023. Can the Nuggets win another title? While Jokic may not be the most emotionally expressive basketball player in the NBA, there's little debate that he's the best right now. Last year, Jokic very nearly willed the Nuggets to an upset win over the eventual NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals, but Denver ultimately bowed out in seven games. Still, with the offseason additions of Johnson, Hardaway Jr., and Brown, along with other savvy signings along the margins, there is hope that the Nuggets will once again be able to compete for championship glory in 2025-26. Jokic doesn't rely much at all on speed or athleticism to be effective, so it's likely that he'll be a dominant player for the next several years. Meanwhile, Nuggets fans will be looking for a bounce back from Jamal Murray, who has been sporadic at times during the last two regular seasons, with some questioning whether he is truly good enough to be Jokic's number two option. In any case, Jokic still has a couple of months to continue racing horses before the NBA preseason begins. Related: Nuggets' Nikola Jokic's agent sparks rumors with LeBron James 'big plans' tease Related: Morris twins challenge Jokic brothers to boxing match
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nuggets' Nikola Jokic makes final decision on EuroBasket 2025 participation
The post Nuggets' Nikola Jokic makes final decision on EuroBasket 2025 participation appeared first on ClutchPoints. In what is set to make the upcoming EuroBasket 2025 a star-studded event, the Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic became the latest NBA superstar to commit to the tournament. The three-time MVP and 2023 NBA Champion was announced as part of Serbia's 17-man preliminary roster alongside multiple NBA stars. Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported that Jokic joins a roster filled with stars such as Nikola Topic, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nikola Jovic, alongside EuroLeague sensation Vasilihie Micic, and is now set to take part in the tournament which tips off later this month, on August 27. Jokic will play under head coach Svetislav Pesic, and will be seen alongside the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic. The former also recently confirmed his decision to play in the tournament. The tournament is set to be hosted across Cyprus, Finland, Poland and Latvia, with Serbia set to compete in a challenging Group A which includes the likes of Estonia, Latvia, Turkiye, Czech Republic, and Portugal. Serbia will tip off its campaign with two warm-up events. The first will feature Greece in Israelm with the three teams set to play multiple games in Cyrpus on August 9 and 10. Further, Serbia will then participate in a mini-tournament in Munich from August 15-16 where they will face off against Czech Republic and the winners of the game between Germany and Turkey. The final warm-up game will be played against Slovenia on August 21 at the Belgrade Arena and will potentially pit Jokic against Luka Doncic. Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks' two-time MVP, has also declared his intent to play for Greece. The Greece roster also included the likes of Kostas Sloukas and Tyler Dorsey, with both Nick Calathes and Thanasis Antetokounmpo set to miss the tournament. Jokic's inclusion undoubtedly elevates an already NBA-rich roster into one of the leading contenders in the tournament. Related: See Nuggets' Nikola Jokic in literal tears after horse race Related: Nuggets' Nikola Jokic's agent sparks rumors with LeBron James 'big plans' tease
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
LeBron James and Maverick Carter were seen with Nikola Jokic's agent
There has been a lot of talk lately that LeBron James, one way or another, is on his way out as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers and that they will look to essentially replace him with another superstar within the next couple of years. The belief is that the Lakers will try to go after either Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nikola Jokić next summer or during the summer of 2027. They reportedly want to keep a lot of salary cap space free for that purpose, which has led some to feel that they will essentially punt the next season or two and not try to win the NBA championship during that time. On his Instagram account, Misko Raznatovic, Jokic's agent, posted a photo of him with James and James' business manager, Maverick Carter, along with a cryptic caption. 'The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026!' This will undoubtedly spark speculation about James' future beyond the next handful of months. There have already been many rumors that he will eventually ask the Lakers to trade him soon, even though he exercised his player option for the 2025-26 season. Jokic, the three-time NBA MVP, who many still feel is the best basketball player in the world, can opt out of his current contract in the 2027 offseason. He just became the third player in league history to average a triple-double for an entire season, but he lost out on the 2024-25 regular-season MVP award to the Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Nikola Jokic cried tears of joy after his horse won a race in Serbia
It's been well established how much Nikola Jokic loves his horses, but in case anyone needed a reminder, Sunday provided maybe the best example yet. With the Denver Nuggets big man in attendance, one of his horses won the Dužijanac race in his native Serbia and Jokic could barely contain his emotions as his horse ran away with the victory down the final stretch. Jokic palmed his face to wipe away tears after the win, and after he composed himself, he hopped over the fence to embrace his team and celebrate on the track with some bubbly. Look how genuinely happy he looks! Basketball fans couldn't help but compare his reaction to the race versus his reaction to winning an NBA championship. And, well, there is no comparison.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
"Even if we did everything right, Jokic still gave them a chance" - Isaiah Hartenstein says Nuggets were OKC's toughest challenge in the playoffs
"Even if we did everything right, Jokic still gave them a chance" - Isaiah Hartenstein says Nuggets were OKC's toughest challenge in the playoffs originally appeared on Basketball Network. The Oklahoma City Thunder may have entered the playoffs as the league's top seed, but their path to the 2025 NBA championship was anything but easy. Despite a dominant regular season, OKC had to battle through two grueling seven-game series — including the NBA Finals — before hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy. Reflecting on their title run, Isaiah Hartenstein revealed that the toughest challenge wasn't the Pacers in the Finals, but the second-round clash with the Denver Nuggets — and the reason was simple: Nikola Jokic. "I think the only series we were kind of a little bit on the ropes was Denver. Just Jokic, I mean, the way they play. They've been there before. And that was the only series where we were like, even if we do everything right, they probably still have a chance. Every other series, we were like, if we do the right things, we're good," he said. The Nuggets series was a war After sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, the Thunder were matched up against the No. 4-seeded Nuggets in the second round. Right from the start of the series, they were in for a dog fight. Behind 42 points and 22 rebounds from Joker, Denver stole Game 1 in OKC and put the pressure on OKC. As expected, the Thunder bounced back with a 43-point blowout win in Game 2. But if they thought that big win took the fight from the Nuggets, they were wrong, as the 2023 champs won Game 3 at their home floor 113-104 with Jokic having another monster double-double with 20 points and 16 rebounds. However, OKC dug deep to win Games 4 and 5 to finally grab the upper hand. Denver held court to even the series at 3-3, but with Game 7 in OKC, the Thunder blew out the Nuggets 125-93 with SGA leading the way with 35 points. But despite an easy close-out win, the series itself was the true test of the young Thunder coaching impressed the Thunder As for the Pacers, Hartenstein gave more credit to their head coach than anybody else. Indiana was coached by 13-year veteran Rick Carisle, who led the Dallas Mavericks to their first-ever NBA title in 2011. According to Isaiah, Carlisle's experience was evident in the Finals. "I think they were really impressive. I mean, they play their style, no matter what. I think the biggest one, just playing against them, I think, is Rick Carlisle. The timely timeouts, the timely adjustments. I think that was the most impressive thing. In general, had great coaching in the playoffs in general. And then the whole team plays the same way. I mean, there's never stopping," he added. Like the Nuggets, the Pacers took the Thunder to the brink, but unfortunately for them, their star player Tyrese Haliburton suffered an injury in the first quarter of Game 7. Carlisle tried to pull all the tricks under his sleeve. Still, it was not enough to deny Hartenstein and the Thunder from winning the 2025 NBA story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
