feature-image

USA Today via Reuters

feature-image

USA Today via Reuters

Rightly nicknamed the Joker, the Serbian basketballer is exactly what the Denver Nuggets needed to seal their championship win. Nikola Joki? was astonishing during their championship race and duly picked up the NBA finals MVP title. But soon after, Joki? expressed how excited he was to go home for horse racing.? The jury is still out on whether the Joker prefers horse racing to basketball.

Watch What’s Trending Now!

But one thing?s for sure, horseracing will surely help the Nuggets MVP blow off some steam. While mostly placid, this championship race got the best of him. Joki? was seen fuming on the court and a fellow Nuggets player opens about Joki??s brief outburst.?

ADVERTISEMENT

The only time Nikola Joki? lost his cool

Nikola Joki? is a terrific leader in every sense. He is a natural point guard, and his teammates adore playing alongside him?especially because of his efficient passing ability. However, Thomas Bryant, a former Nuggets player now, narrates an anomalous incident during an episode of Gil?s Arena. Bryant recalls how the sweet, baby-faced Serbian guy blew up in flames during the championship game.?

?It was one time throughout the playoffs,? said Bryant, ?where he actually showed emotion.? Bryant was taken aback at the time, for he had never seen a flustered side of the Joker. This happened on the court as the Nuggets failed to follow the play and turned the ball over two times in a row. After that, the Nuggets MVP simply lost it.?

ADVERTISEMENT

Read more: ?Toughest Player?: Having Shared the Locker Room with Nikola Jokic, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant, NBA Champion Singles Out Surprising Name

Red with anger, Joki? was seen yelling from the perimeter during a time-out. As far as Bryant can tell, Nikola Joki? was mad not because they were falling behind on the scoreboard, but for the fact that the team messed up the game plan.

Nikola Joki? is a solid team player

Bryant recalls what Joki? had said, ?’I don?t f*****g care about scoring, just play the right f*****g way.’?

article-image

USA Today via Reuters

That being said, Bryant knows that the Joker has more than a knack for the game. When he?s on the court and in his zone, it?s a ?recipe for disaster for the other team.? Hence, Bryant let this outburst slip, considering how calm Joki? usually is on the court.?

Bryant happily confessed how he loved playing with Nikola Joki?. He said, ?He [Joki?] wants to get people open, he wants to pass the ball? it?s easy as hell to play with him.?

Watch This Story: James Harden Risks Offending Close Friend Kevin Durant Amid Rampant Trade Rumors

The Denver Nuggets’ MVP, Nikola Joki?, truly embodies the spirit of teamwork and is an absolute showstopper on the court. Do you agree with Bryant? Share your views on the Joker in the comments below!

Share this with a friend:

Link Copied!

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Written by

author-image

Prachi Bhandutia

84 Articles

Prachi is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. After playing basketball throughout high-school, she got a real taste of the sizzling NBA action after moving to the University of Hartford for BA in Creative Writing. Living in Connecticut, she got exposed to the cross-town rivalry between the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets. She has been an ardent NBA follower since, constantly fangirling over Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, and LeBron James. Prachi employs her impeccable writing skills to report NBA news unbiasedly.

Know more

Edited by

editor-image

Aayush Kapoor

ADVERTISEMENT