This is not the first time that a video out of Serbia has sent the basketball world into a frenzy. In the summer of 2020, during the COVID-19 shutdown, a gym clip showed a player that his own Nuggets teammates could barely recognize – Jamal Murray joked about a “four-pack” and former teammate Jameer Nelson texted him immediately after seeing the footage. “When you do something like that, you deliver a message to your teammates,” Nelson told ESPN at the time. “When you do something for your body or your mind like he did, the way he did it, everybody gets stronger.” Six years on, another Serbian practice video has gone viral, and Nikola Jokic appears to have done it again, allegedly.

Fans and analysts have commented on what appears to be a physical change after footage of a training session of the Serbia national team appeared on social media. The number on the clip: “35 pounds lost in the offseason following Denver’s first-round playoff exit” had the basketball world asking what it means for the Nuggets heading into 2026-27.

The Nuggets were eliminated from the 2026 playoffs in six games by the Minnesota Timberwolves, a disappointing exit from a team seeded third in the West and carrying genuine championship expectations. Jokic averaged 25.8 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 9.5 assists during the six-game series, but shot 7-of-26 in Game 3 and was ejected late in Game 4 as Denver’s composure scattered.

Nikola Jokic’s work ethic has never been the question. Former teammate Jonas Valanciunas addressed this via BasketNews: “He’s at the facility early in the morning, getting shots up, putting in extra work. After every game, we’d hit the weight room. Every single game. He plays 40 minutes, I play my eight, and we’d still do exactly the same workout afterward. His work ethic is something else… What people don’t see is the day-to-day grind.”

The Nuggets had a disappointing playoff showing that prompted growing concerns about Denver’s current roster and how much longer the championship window remains open. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported after the exit that “there are going to be changes in Denver,” with names like Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Cameron Johnson entering trade conversations.

A version of Nikola Jokic who arrives at training camp 35 pounds lighter and visibly more athletic does not fix those roster questions. Jokic has averaged 27.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 7.7 assists over 100 career playoff games, a statistic that is unanswerable. The question that has remained unanswered for two seasons is whether he can sustain that output across deep playoff runs.

“The Battle for Best Center in the NBA Is Going to Be Legendary” – How Fans Are Reacting to the Video

The reaction online was swift. One fan on Reddit wrote that the three-time MVP appears “noticeably slimmer.” Another fan added: “Is it just me, or does he look jacked? Not just slimmer.” That difference matters. Slimmer suggests that he may have just weight loss, while jacked suggests that there’s a body change that involves less fat and more muscle.

During his 2020 transformation, Jokic lost 20 to 30 pounds while gaining muscle, adhering to a strict workout regimen before and after practices and games, and completely changing his diet – cutting soda, beer, video-game snacking, and heavy Serbian food.

Another fan talked about one of his attributes – “Hopefully, his stamina improves even more.”  In the six-game Timberwolves series, Jokic averaged almost 40 minutes per game, and his shooting efficiency tanked across the series as Minnesota’s plan of fronting him, leaning on his legs, and forcing quick decisions accumulated.

The fan who wrote “Jokic was uncomfortably skinny looking in the playoffs this year, but he looks in really good shape right now” made the same observation.. “The battle for best center in the NBA is going to be legendary next season” is the conclusion that all of it points toward, because Victor Wembanyama led all postseason players in blocks and in rebounds.

When it happened in 2020, the story ended with three MVP awards and a championship in 2023. The 2026 version is still being written, and fans of the Nuggets and the Joker will be eager to see how this scenario plays out.