Serbian basketball player Nikola Jokic said in a conversation with an American journalist that he cares about basketball and enjoys the competition, but that he likely experiences successes and failures differently than others. He announced that he will play basketball as long as he is able to perform at a high level.
While the NBA league is still on break after the All-Star weekend, Denver center Nikola Jokic gave a short but interesting interview to ESPN journalist Malika Andrews.
The Serbian national team player has missed 16 games this season due to a knee injury he suffered at the end of December in a match against Miami. He says the recovery process was interesting because he had actually never been injured before.
“That was a completely new moment in my career. I am so used to playing and being on the court, that I felt like I was missing something,” said the native of Sombor.
One of the questions referred to his reputation as someone who does not care much about basketball, especially after the famous statement following the end of the NBA Finals — that the “job is done” and that he “can go home.”
“I care. If you don’t care, you shouldn’t be in this sport. Maybe my personality is a bit different and I accept victories and success differently than others, but I care about basketball and I love playing basketball. I enjoy the competition. Maybe I just experience successes and failures differently,” Jokic explained.
The inevitable topic was horse racing, and especially the famous video recording of the unusually emotional celebration after one of the victories of Jokic’s horse.
“It was a whole process because that horse arrived and was supposed to be really good. Before that race, he hadn’t raced very well, and then he won probably one of the best races in Serbia. I was simply overjoyed in that moment,” Jokic pointed out.
The eternal question of whether he would rather choose a race victory or an NBA ring arose, and the answer was — a ring at this moment.
Last season Oklahoma became the champion, and Jokic believes that his team could not have prevented the elimination in the playoffs.
“If we could have, we would have done it last year. We had the opportunity. Actually, we had two opportunities. We didn’t use them, and in my opinion, they played the best basketball in the season and that is why they won the championship. We showed that we have depth in the team, but when the playoffs come, it will always be decided by small details — who wants it more and whether you make or miss shots,” said Jokic.
He is only 31 years old, but the journalist was also interested in how much longer he plans to play.
“Honestly, I think I will play basketball as long as I am able to play it, as long as I can play at a high level. I enjoy it, I love to play. I think I will play as long as I can perform at a high level, as long as I enjoy it and as long as my health serves me,” Nikola Jokic underlined.
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Source: RTS; Photo: Printscreen YouTube