Nikola Jokic is dominating the league, and that has been the case for the last half of the decade. However, the Serbian superstar doesn’t have massive aspirations of building a legacy and may retire within the next few years in his mid-thirties. He has given plenty of indications that suggest so.

Now, in the recent episode of the ‘Run It Back’ podcast, DeMarcus Cousins, in the presence of Michelle Beadle, Lou Williams, and Chandler Parsons, further revealed what Jokic told him during his time at the Nuggets that only intensifies the speculations.

“I was teammates with Nikola Jokic, our lockers were right next to each other. … This guy told me he was thinking about retiring soon,” Cousins stated.

He also shared that basketball is probably Jokic’s second or third-most important thing in life and that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Serbian superstar decides to retire in the next 3-4 years, which Cousins wouldn’t like to see.

This conversation that Cousins revealed happened in 2022 when he was part of the Nuggets setup. Also, back in 2025, Cousins had said how Jokic actually almost retired the very same year Cousins was to play with him.

“(Someone else) signed an extension, and I said to (Jokic), yours is gonna be crazy… He said, ‘I honestly think I might retire.’ I said, ‘And leave $300 million? Sign the contract and just get fat, at worst,” Cousins said.

Well, Jokic has previously made jokes about stepping away, and he even once spilled the beans while complimenting Yang Hansen.

“He’s good. I’m happy that when he gets in his prime, that I’m gonna be out of the league probably, in two… nah, actually,” said Jokic as he looked into space with a confused look on his face before changing the topic back to Hansen.

And more recently, the Serbian big man jokingly said that he won’t be around in the NBA when the San Antonio Spurs talisman Victor Wembanyama hits his prime. “He is changing basketball. He’s a rim protector, he’s shooting threes. He is unique. I’m glad that I’ll probably retire before Wemby holds the entire league in a chokehold.”

However, the same Jokic has also made comments that don’t make his plans sound imminent. “I think I’m going to play basketball until I can’t play it,” he said to Malika Andrews in February. And till he can play it, he will surely do so with the Nuggets.

Nikola Jokic says he can’t see himself leaving Denver

The NBA is a volatile market, with players, including superstars, getting traded in every window. There’s a strong possibility that Giannis Antetokounmpo will leave Milwaukee to join a new team this summer. Similarly, many other players in the past have had to leave their teams, even when they felt a deep connection with the city and the fans. However, as Jokic recently shared, his love for his team goes beyond accolades.

Recently, in his appearance on Serbian podcast Xs and Os, Jokic revealed that he has found peace in Denver. When asked if he sees himself playing for any other team other than the Nuggets, he stated:

“I wouldn’t like to imagine that. Even if we never win anything else after this, an organic title, it means more to me than anything… I really found peace here. My two kids were born here. Everyone’s here. Peace, home, I found my life here. And I like life here. I don’t feel the need, I don’t have the urge to. We built something here, together as a team.”

Over the past few years, Jokić has been the focal point of everything the Denver Nuggets have developed. The Serbian big man has become one of the league’s most unstoppable centers in the modern era and helped lead the team to its first-ever NBA championship.

But when he turned down a three-year extension worth about $212 million during the previous offseason, rumors began to swirl, particularly given the prospect of becoming a free agent in 2027. However, the decision was solely based on the numbers and had nothing to do with his leaving.

Now, Jokić’s most recent remarks further appear to refute those rumors.