Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic is the talk of the sporting world. The Serbian superstar led the Denver Nuggets in a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
When asked after Monday’s game about his countryman, Novak Djokovic, he was quick to praise the tennis great.
“He is a guy who represents Serbia in a much bigger scene,” Jokic said during his press conference. “He's a Serbian ambassador, and he's really [an] idol to the kids in Serbia and not just on the court, [but with] the things that his foundation is doing. He is the guy who can you can look up [to]. 'I want to be like him'.
“He is doing something great for kids, for Serbia, for everything. So we cannot be compared.”
[ATP APP]
Djokovic has often complimented Jokic, too. The 93-time tour-level champion shared an Instagram Story on Tuesday celebrating Jokic’s success.
When Jokic earned his first MVP award two years ago, Djokovic wore his Nuggets jersey at practice ahead of Roland Garros.
“MVP! MVP! This is for my friend Nikola Jokic, The Joker,” Djokovic said in a video he recorded at the time. “Congratulations for your MVP, well deserved. Sending you big regards from Paris, Roland Garros. I’m carrying you today with me in practice and hopefully bringing you luck in the playoffs. All the best, my friend!”
Jokic could face Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. Earlier this year, Butler watched Carlos Alcaraz play in Buenos Aires and Miami.
“He’s always poised. He’s never rattled and more than anything, it looks like he’s having so much fun out there,” Butler told ATPTour.com. “I think whenever you have fun and you have that mentality that you know you’re the best, you go out there and you play as though you’re the best, results happen and he’s not No. 1 for no reason.”
