Mike Miller, a former Denver Nuggets basketball player, explained how Nikola Jokić earned the nickname “The Joker.”
Serbian basketball player Nikola Jokić is a huge global star and one of the best NBA players, rightly earning the MVP title three times and finishing second in MVP voting twice more.
In 2023, Jokić led the Denver Nuggets to their first championship title in franchise history and is already considered the best player the Colorado franchise has ever had.
Mike Miller, a former NBA player, spoke about Jokić on Paul George’s podcast and revealed how Nikola got the nickname “The Joker.”
“I gave him the nickname ‘Joker’ because I couldn’t just say ‘Jokić, pass the damn ball!’ So, in the moment, I just said: ‘Joker, pass the ball.’ His character, his personality, he’s like a Joker. Every time I saw him, I’d say it’s a joke. I couldn’t quickly say ‘Jokić, pass me the ball’ because it was difficult for me, so I just called him ‘Joker’,” Miller explained.
He then praised Jokić’s basketball skills:
“Let’s talk seriously now. He honestly isn’t interested in some things. He’s not that interested in basketball. His routines and habits, man… He was there every day at the same time with coach Ogi (Ognjen Stojaković) in Denver, doing the same thing every day. This isn’t a secret; I played with Kyrie Irving in Cleveland, and when I saw Joker, it was incredible to me. The crazy stuff they do in games… Joker worked on that constantly. Those floaters he throws that spin around the rim and go in, he worked on those. He shot them a thousand times. He’s a hard worker, and that’s why he’s the best player,” Mike Miller concluded.
MORE TOPICS:
Source: B92, Photo: AP