After a month away, Nikola Jokic felt like a different person to fans. Even without playing basketball for a long time, he held his All-Star position. Yet fans felt he was not all there. The entire weekend magnified the aura of a reluctant superstar. Some were even concerned how long he’d keep playing at all. But in a candid sit-down, The Joker said that the injury scare put things into perspective for him about retirement.

In the Denver Nuggets’ last game of 2025, Jokic suffered a non-contact hyperextension of his knee. He avoided the worst, a season-ending ligament tear. But he told Malika Andrews that rehabbing even from the strained knee was not easy.

Though he called it “really interesting” because this was his most serious injury to date, it was an adjustment. “I’m so used to playing, so used to be on the floor that I felt like I’m missing out.” Not being able to play basketball that long probably made him think about the time when he’d not be playing. And he wants to delay that for as long as possible.

Andrews was blunt about how the NBA world sees Nikola Jokic as something seperable from basketball as she said, “you never struck me as someone who is wanting to do this forever because you have such a full life outside of basketball.”

In response to if he’d play for as long as LeBron James and Stephen Curry are, the 31-year-old center said, “To be honest, I think I’m going to play basketball until I, like, I can play and I can play on a high level.”

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

So he’s probably going to go as long as James and Curry for as long as his health allows it. And for a very simple reason. “I think because I enjoy it. I love to play. So, I think I’m going to play until, like, I can perform on a high level and still kind of enjoy, still be healthy.”

He shut down the narrative that he is looking for an early exit. So a life outside basketball is not going to tempt him.

Why the NBA is afraid of Nikola Jokic checking out?

The narrative seemed to follow Jokic for a while. Even with his apparent distance from his diehard fans. He was seen as the face of a franchise who famously prioritizes his stable of horses in Sombor over the glitz of the NBA.

It doesn’t help that NBA big men like Jokic suffer an athletic decline earlier than players like LeBron James and Stephen Curry. He came back and is still dropping MVP numbers, but played limited minutes in the All-Star Game, proving he’s not that superhuman after all.

Yet, Kevin Durant and Anthony Edwards called him out for a lack of effort. And Jokic stoked those flames with his apparent indifference back then only to disagree later.

Far from the narrative, the recent injury saw the Nuggets struggle significantly in his absence. A startling observation showed the Nuggets’ offensive rating drops below the league average when Jokic is off the floor. Now that he’s back, they’ve improved to 15.8 points per 100 possessions. The statistic could underscore why the NBA community is concerned about the retirement timeline of a 31-year-old with plenty of seasons in him.

Despite his off-court interests, Jokic’s driven by his desire to bring another championship to the Mile High City. Till he can complete his checklist, the horses in Serbia will have to wait.