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Nikola Jokić (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Јокић, pronounced [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 "the Joker", he is regarded as one of the greatest players and centers of all time, and is often considered the greatest draft steal in NBA history. A six-time NBA All-Star, Jokić has been named to the All-NBA Team on five occasions (including three first-team selections), and won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons. He represents the Serbian national team, with which he won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Jokić was selected by the Nuggets in the second round of the 2014 NBA draft. He was voted to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2016. In the 2018–19 NBA season, while leading the Nuggets to the Western Conference Semifinals, he received his first All-Star and All-NBA First Team selections. The following season, he once again received All-Star and All-NBA honors, while leading his team to the Western Conference Finals. In the 2022–23 NBA season, he was awarded NBA Finals MVP after leading the Nuggets to their first-ever NBA championship. Jokić ranks among the top 4 on the all-time list of the NBA players with the most triple-doubles (regular season and playoffs), where he is the leading international player and center, and he holds the record for fastest triple-double (achieved in 14 minutes and 33 seconds). Early life Jokić was born in the city of Sombor in the northern part of Serbia. He grew up in a cramped two-bedroom apartment that housed him and his two brothers, both parents and grandmother. 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 he still holds today. Professional career Mega Basket (2012–2015) 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, he appeared in five games of the Serbian League and averaged 1.8 points and 2 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per game. In February 2013, he officially signed a four-year contract with the team. In the 2013–14 season, he saw more minutes on the court for the senior team. Over 25 Adriatic League games, he averaged 11.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He also played 13 games with the team in the Serbian League and had similar production, averaging 10.9 points, 6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. 2014–15 season: ABA League MVP and rebounding title On June 26, 2014, Jokić was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 41st overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft In the first game of the Adriatic League, Jokić led his team to a 103–98 win over MZT Skopje, by scoring 27 points and grabbing 15 rebounds for a total index rating of 44. On November 3, he recorded 17 points, 12 rebounds and season-high 8 assists for a total index rating of 40, in a 90–84 victory over Zadar. On February 7, he scored 27 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a 77–88 loss to Szolnoki Olaj. On March 21, he scored a season-high 28 points and added 15 rebounds to help his team win with 100–96 over Igokea. Even though Mega Leks finished in 10th place in the Adriatic League, Jokić became one of the league's most valuable players. On June 8, 2015 Jokić scored 23 points in a loss to Crvena Zvezda in the playoff semifinals of the Serbian League. Jokić averaged 18.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in the Serbian League. In the 2014-15 ABA League, he averaged 15.4 points, league-leading 9.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, while leading the league with an index rating of 22. He was named MVP 4 times over the course of the season: for Round 1, Round 6, Round 21 Round 26 and was named MVP for February. On March 26 2015, he was officially named the Adriatic League regular season MVP. He was also named the ABA League Top Prospect for the 2014–15 season. On June 9, 2015 he parted ways with the team to pursue an NBA career. Denver Nuggets (2015–present) 2015–16 season: All-Rookie honors In the summer of 2015, Jokić joined the Denver Nuggets, one season after being drafted. On July 28, 2015, he signed a contract with the Nuggets after averaging 8.0 points and 6.2 rebounds in five summer league games for the team. On November 18, 2015, he had a then season-best game with 23 points and 12 rebounds in a 109–98 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. On January 10, 2016, he recorded a career-high nine assists in a 95–92 win over the Charlotte Hornets. On February 1, he recorded career highs of 27 points and 14 rebounds in a 112–93 win over the Toronto Raptors. On April 8, he set a new career high with 15 rebounds in a 102–98 win over the San Antonio Spurs. At the season's end, he finished third in the 2016 NBA Rookie of the Year Award voting and earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors. 2016–17 season: Improving as a sophomore On October 29, 2016, Jokić recorded 23 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in a 115–113 overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. After starting the first eight games of the season, Jokić was moved to the bench on November 12. He remained coming off the bench for the next 14 games. During that stretch as a bench player, he had a season-high 27 points and 11 rebounds in a 112–92 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on December 12. On December 15, he was reinserted into the starting lineup, and the Nuggets scored 132 points in a win against the Portland Trail Blazers with Jokić acting as the fulcrum of the offense, passing out of the high post and short rolling to the rim. Fans subsequently began referring to December 15 as "Jokmas" in celebration of the team's decision to build around Jokić rather than Jusuf Nurkić or first-round pick Emmanuel Mudiay. On December 19, he recorded a near triple-double with 27 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists in a 117–107 win over Dallas. He had another near triple-double on December 28, recording 16 points, a career-high 11 assists and eight rebounds in a 105–103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. On January 16, 2017, he scored a career-high 30 points in a 125–112 win over the Orlando Magic. He surpassed that mark three days later, scoring 35 points in a 118–104 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. On February 3, 2017, he recorded his first career triple-double with 20 points, 13 rebound.... Discover the Nikola Scott popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Nikola Scott books.