Novak Djokovic on Nikola Jokic friendship: Amazing he’s from Serbia

LOS ANGELES — The Djoker was in the middle of a monologue about the Joker when a tap on the shoulder interrupted him.

Speak of the devil.

“I’m talking about the legend,” said a beaming Novak Djokovic. Nikola Jokicwho had come to investigate the interview.

Nuggets players, coaches and front office staff were always on the move as Djokovic held court outside the visitors’ locker room. He was sitting courtside for LeBron James’ 40,000th career point and Denver’s comeback spoiling that milestone. After a 124-114 victory over the Lakers, almost everyone in the team’s traveling party was eager for Jokic to introduce them to the world’s top-ranked tennis player.

Djokovic remembers seeing Jokic play once in Serbia. And another time in Turkey, when Jokic wore the Serbian national team uniform. But it was the first time Djokovic supported his friend live during an NBA match. Jokic provided 35 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

So, as he said…

“What he has done not only for Serbian basketball but also for European basketball in general is incredible,” Djokovic continued after Jokic turned away. “He has rewritten the history books over the last three years, and he continues. He is in the prime of his life. He is the best. We are super proud of him. I’m a big supporter of him, everything he does. We haven’t had many athletes like him in (Serbian) history, so he’s up to the task. And he’s still not finished.

Djokovic’s date was Vlade Divac, a former NBA All-Star who is also considered Serbian sporting royalty. “But what Nikola is doing is on a different level,” Djokovic told The Denver Post in an exclusive interview. In fact, Jokic appears to be ascending to a stratosphere in the nation’s history occupied only by Djokovic, the record-holding 24-time Grand Slam winner who has spent more than 400 weeks at the top of the world rankings.

“Like a shining star for most people back home,” as Jokic said. “…It will probably (be) a long, long time and years before someone like him appears again.”

“You have the best tennis player in the world and you have the best basketball player in the world – in my opinion,” the Nuggets assistant coach said. Ogi Stojakovic, who helped coach the Serbian national team to a silver medal at the FIBA ​​World Cup last summer. “They support each other. It was very cool. You can somehow be proud to be a small part, a small part of it all.

Nuggets wing Peyton Watson, 21, wanted a photo with Djokovic and Jokic to capture the magnitude of the moment. A group of Denver coaches and security guards posed for another with the duo and Divac. Michael Malone’s daughters “couldn’t get over it” when they saw the photos on social media. The players were entering and leaving the locker room. It was a mini post-match reception, and Djokovic was the center of gravity.

“It was awesome. You’re talking about arguably – I know it’s a very hot topic – the greatest tennis player of all time,” Malone said. “One of the greatest athletes of all time …And what really struck me when I went to talk to him was how engaging he was, how well he knew our team, how complimentary he was about what we do and how we play , and that he was aware of all the times I’ve been to Serbia and how much it means to their country, his country. So it was a great success.

Djokovic considers basketball “number 1”. 1 sport” in Serbia. He’s enough of a hoops fan to remember Jokic playing in the Serbian and Adriatic leagues as a fringe NBA prospect a decade ago. Eventually, as Jokic’s status grew, the two athletes met through mutual friends. They met at a few sporting events in Serbia. They developed a mutual fandom that extended to Djokovic’s congratulatory texts to Jokic during the Nuggets’ 2023 playoff run.

“We always followed each other’s careers, we respected and admired each other,” Djokovic said. “So now I think as time goes by, we appreciate each other and what we do professionally. But also privately I think we get along very well. He’s a family oriented guy, like me. He is very close to his family, his origins, his country, his city. And it is obviously very important to never forget where we come from. He has reached the pinnacle of one of the most important sports in the world and is one of the most recognized athletes in the world. It’s simply amazing that he comes from Serbia.

Djokovic is originally from Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, but he knows Sombor, the small town in the northeastern region of the country where Jokic lives, well. The 36-year-old said he remembered going to Sombor for tennis tournaments as a child. “But I never went to (Jokic)’s house,” Djokovic added, because the summer months Jokic spends in Sombor coincide with the heart of the Grand Slam season. When Djokovic has more free time, Jokic plays 82 matches abroad, in the United States.

The timing ultimately aligned perfectly with the Nuggets’ trip to Los Angeles a few days before the Indian Wells Open.

“I never got an invitation to one of his horse races, you know?” » said Djokovic, smiling. “Hopefully. Hopefully. Very select group. A select few people understand that.

While he awaits that invitation, he feels lucky to have witnessed a fitting display of Denver’s clutch pedigree.

“Amazing. It’s amazing how much he elevated his game when it mattered most,” Djokovic said. “And the whole team. We all know how good he is, we all know what he’s capable of and we all know he can score 50 points every game. But he chooses not to because, ultimately, it’s a team effort. It’s a team sport. And they all play together with great chemistry. The way they communicate on the pitch, they form a very good team. And they are family. I like this. I come from an individual sport, so it’s different obviously. So for me, seeing this dynamic of relationship, of communication, how they elevate each other’s game and encourage each other, it’s just incredible.

“They literally climbed in the last three minutes to get a 10-point victory. Just awesome. Great to see. This is why they are NBA champions. And I hope they win another ring.