Background and career
Nikola Jokić ( YOH-kitch; Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Јокић [nǐkola jôkitɕ] ; born February 19, 1995) is a Serbian professional basketball player who is a center for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Joker", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Jokić is an eight-time NBA All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team member (including six first-team selections) and a three-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP). He represents the Serbian national team, with which he won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and a bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Often considered the greatest draft steal in NBA history, Jokić was selected 41st overall by the Nuggets in the second round of the 2014 NBA draft. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2016. In the 2018–19 NBA season, while leading the Nuggets to the Western Conference Semifinals, Jokić earned his first All-Star and All-NBA First Team selections. The following season, he led the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals. In the 2020–21 NBA season and 2021–22 NBA season, Jokić won back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player Awards. In the 2022–23 NBA season, he finished second in MVP voting and was named NBA Finals MVP after leading the Nuggets to their first-ever NBA championship. The following season, Jokić won his third NBA Most Valuable Player Award. In the 2024–25 NBA season, he finished second in MVP voting while averaging a triple-double with 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game. The following season, Jokić averaged a triple-double for a second consecutive year with 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game, finishing second in MVP voting again. He also became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in both rebounds and assists per game in the same season.
Jokić is only the third player in NBA history to finish top 2 in MVP voting for six straight years. He is only the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double in a season and only the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double in multiple seasons. Jokić is second all-time among NBA players with the most triple-doubles and holds the record for the fastest triple-double (achieved in 14 minutes and 33 seconds). He is the only NBA player ever to achieve a 30+ points, 20+ rebounds, and 20+ assists game. Jokić is the lowest drafted player to win either the NBA Most Valuable Player Award or the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award.
Jokić is an ethnic Serb born in the city of Sombor in the northern part of Serbia. He grew up in a two-bedroom apartment that housed him, his two brothers, parents, and grandmother. He attended Dositej Obradović Primary School. His father was an agricultural engineer. Jokić developed a love of basketball early in his life playing with his two older brothers, Strahinja and Nemanja, who were a decade older. Both brothers played basketball in Serbia with Nemanja later playing college basketball for Detroit Mercy and C.W. Post and for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Steamers in the Premier Basketball League. The brothers are friends with former NBA player Darko Miličić. Jokić also loved harness racing as a child and competed as an amateur, a passion that he still has today.
Jokić played youth basketball for Vojvodina Srbijagas, drawing attention when he had achieved a total index rating greater than 50 in two consecutive games. In December 2012, Jokić signed a contract with Mega Vizura, although in the first season with the team he played mostly for their junior team in 2012–13. At the age of 17, Jokić appeared in five games of the Serbian League and averaged 1.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per game. In February 2013, he officially signed a four-year contract with the team.
How Nikola Jokić makes money
2018–19 season: Breakout season, first All-Star and All-NBA appearances On July 9, 2018, Jokić signed a five-year, $148 million maximum contract extension with the Nuggets. 2022–23 season: First NBA championship and Finals MVP On July 1, 2022, Jokić agreed to a five-year, $264 million supermax contract extension with the Nuggets, making it the richest deal in NBA history at the time of the signing.
