One of the greatest basketball players to have ever lived, Nikola Jokic despises the attention that comes with his status.
The two-time NBA MVP recently talked on the difficulties of being in the public eye and expressed his desire to not be regarded as just a “basketball player.”
Nikola Jokic opened up on his struggles with fame
The 28-year-old Jokic has played for the Denver Nuggets for nine NBA seasons and has quickly amassed a prestigious NBA career.
He has two league MVP awards. He won the first NBA championship for the team last season and was named Finals MVP.
Nevertheless, Jokic recently discussed his thoughts on his celebrity lifestyle in an interview with colleague Micahel Porter Jr. on his podcast, “Curious Mike.”
Since we are essentially simply basketball players at the end of the day, I truly do not like this existence.
Simply said, we excel at what we do.
“But the media is something that is around us, and of course, we are getting paid because of the media, because of our popularity,” he said.
Jokic went on to say that he does not desire the spotlight and that when he retires, he hopes that people will recognize him as more than simply a basketball player.
However, I believe that some people enjoy their celebrity. Actually, I don’t.
“When my career is over, I truly hope no one knows who I am.
“And I really wish my kid, or kids in the future, really remember me as a dad, not as a basketball player,” Jokic stated.
He also mentioned that he is simply a regular guy and that his goal in life is to live in “the moment”.
“I guess another major ambition of mine is to not have a phone.
“To be present in the moment as you mentioned, acting like a typical person.
“Like go drink with your buddy or go have lunch or go play with the kid or go ride horses and nobody’s going to make a big deal of that,” Jokic said.
Jokic’s NBA championship win this summer caused him to go viral. He returned to Serbia after winning a horse racing championship.
The Athletic claims that Jokic has “more than half a dozen” horses in his stable in Serbia.
The 6-foot-11, 284-pound specimen has a boyhood passion for training racehorses, but he does not ride horses.
“I started horse racing at some point in my life,” Nikola admitted to SlamMagazine in 2016.
“I just fell in love with horses and their beauty and elegance.”
Jokic is averaging 26.4 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 9.2 assists in 33 games this season. With a 23-10 record, the Nuggets are now second in the Western Conference.
Jokic interviewed with his teammate Michael Porter Jr.
Jokic led the Denver Nuggets to their first NBA title in franchise histor
Jokic has won two NBA MVP’s