Nikola Jokic stands among the greatest Serbian basketball players the sport has ever produced. A centre and power forward, he plays for the Denver Nuggets in the NBA and was born on February 19, 1995, in the city of Sombor. His story is one of an unlikely rise from a mid-sized Serbian club to the very top of the world’s most competitive basketball league, driven by a combination of exceptional vision, technical mastery, and a work ethic that remade his body and his game simultaneously.
Early Career and the Path to the NBA
Jokic began his junior basketball education at the Vojvodina Srbijagas club, where his talent quickly attracted wider attention. His performances earned him a contract with the BeoBasket agency, led by Miško Ražnatovic, one of the most respected basketball managers in European sport. This relationship opened the door to Mega Vizura, the club now known as Mega Lex, where Jokic would take his first major steps toward a professional career.
At Mega Vizura, he helped the team reach the final of a prestigious Euroleague qualifying tournament and earned a place in the tournament’s ideal five selection. By 2012, he had graduated to the senior squad. The following season brought real professional exposure, with 25 appearances in the Adriatic League and 13 in the Serbian Super League, giving him experience against senior competition that would prove invaluable.
In 2013, Jokic represented Serbia at the Under-19 World Cup held in the Czech Republic, where the squad claimed a silver medal. His development continued at a remarkable pace, and by the 2014 to 2015 season he was averaging 22 points per game across 24 Adriatic League matches, accumulating 222 rebounds and 527 index points in the process. That season brought recognition to match his statistics: he was named the most valuable player of the Adriatic League, as well as its best scorer and best rebounder. When he departed Mega Lex, the club retired his number 15 jersey as a tribute to his contribution.
The Denver Nuggets selected him with the 41st overall pick in the NBA Draft, a selection that would prove to be one of the most consequential decisions in the franchise’s history.
Breaking Into the NBA
Jokic arrived in North America and quickly demonstrated that the draft position undervalued his abilities. He played in the Las Vegas Summer League and impressed sufficiently for the Nuggets’ management to extend his contract for four years, valued at 5.5 million dollars. During the 2015 to 2016 season, he established himself in the starting lineup, appearing in 80 games and starting 55 of them. A scoring performance of 27 points against the Toronto Raptors on February 1, 2016, served as an early signal of his potential.
He also participated in All-Star Weekend that season, contributing 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. At season’s end, the league recognised him as one of its best newcomers, placing him on the first team of the All-Rookie lineup.
On the international stage, Jokic joined the Serbian senior national team in July 2016 for the Olympic qualifying tournament. His performances were outstanding and earned him the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award. Serbia qualified, and in August, Jokic claimed a silver medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, with the team falling to the United States in the final.
A Season of Triple Doubles and Rising Stardom
The 2016 to 2017 season saw Jokic begin producing the kind of statistics that place a player in historical conversations. His first career triple-double came on February 3, 2017, against the Milwaukee Bucks, where he recorded 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. A week later, a 40-point performance in New York made him only the second Serbian player in NBA history to reach that scoring landmark, joining the company of Predrag Stojakovic.
A game against the Golden State Warriors produced another landmark: 17 points, 21 rebounds, and 12 assists for his second career triple-double. His third followed days later against the Chicago Bulls, with 19 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 125-to-107 Nuggets victory. The fourth came the very next night against Milwaukee, as Jokic contributed 13 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 110 to 98 win. His fifth triple-double arrived on March 16 against the Los Angeles Clippers, while his sixth saw him deliver 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in a win over Charlotte before he followed up with 29 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 assists against Oklahoma City.
Six triple-doubles placed him fourth in the league for that season behind Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and LeBron James, remarkable company for a player in only his second NBA campaign.
The 2017 to 2018 Season: Record-Breaking Performances
If the previous season announced Jokic’s arrival, the 2017 to 2018 campaign confirmed his elite status. He opened the season with a career-high 41 points against the Brooklyn Nets, and on November 13 was named Western Conference Player of the Week, an honour Denver had not seen since March 2013.
An ankle injury cost him seven games mid-season, but he returned with full force. On February 15, 2018, against Milwaukee, he set a new career record for assists in a single game, registering 30 points, 15 rebounds, and 17 assists in a 134-to-123 victory. Within that performance, he also achieved the fastest triple-double in NBA history, reaching the milestone in just 14 minutes and 33 seconds.
His third consecutive triple-double came on February 23 against San Antonio, where he scored 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists as Denver won 122 to 119. The eighth triple-double of his season tied a franchise record set by Fat Lever in the 1988 to 1989 season. By season’s end, he had accumulated 16 career triple-doubles, appeared seven times with more than 30 points in a single game, and signed a new five-year contract with the Nuggets worth 148 million dollars.
Making NBA History
The 2018 to 2019 season opened with Jokic producing a statement performance: 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists against Phoenix in a 119 to 91 win. This placed him alongside Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to record a triple-double with 30 or more points while making every shot attempt. Chamberlain had achieved that feat twice, in 1966 and 1967. Jokic also became only the second Nuggets player to record multiple triple-doubles across the first two games of a season.
Being named Western Conference Player of the Week for the third time placed him in the company of just five other players who had reached that mark. On November 3, he set a season record against Utah, and three days later produced 37 points and 21 rebounds against Brooklyn.
In January 2019, he reached 20 career triple-doubles at the age of just 23, becoming the third youngest player in league history to reach that figure. A career-high 40 points against Portland followed, and further outstanding games against Cleveland, Utah, and Philadelphia kept him at the centre of MVP conversations. He was selected for the Western Conference All-Star team, becoming the first Nuggets player to earn back-to-back All-Star selections since Carmelo Anthony.
In the playoffs, Jokic became only the fourth player in Nuggets franchise history to record a triple-double on his playoff debut. He averaged 25.1 points, 13 rebounds, and 8.4 assists across 14 playoff games, spending close to 40 minutes per game on the court at a high shooting percentage. Denver eliminated the San Antonio Spurs in the first round, advancing to the second round for the first time in a decade, before falling to Portland 100 to 96 despite Jokic’s 29 points and 13 rebounds.
The 2019 to 2020 Season and Pandemic Interruption
Jokic began the 2019 to 2020 season with two late-game heroics in as many days. He scored a basket with 1.2 seconds remaining to beat Philadelphia 98 to 97, then repeated the feat two days later as Denver edged Minnesota 100 to 98 in overtime.
On January 6, 2020, he set a new career scoring record with 47 points against the Atlanta Hawks in a 123-to-115 Nuggets victory. A month later, against Utah, he recorded 30 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists, becoming only the third player in NBA history after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to achieve a triple-double with more than 30 points, more than 20 rebounds, and more than 10 assists.
His strong season was cut short in March 2020 when the NBA suspended all games following confirmation that Utah Jazz centre Rudy Gobert had tested positive for COVID-19.
International Career With Serbia
Across his international career, Jokic has been a consistent and often decisive contributor for the Serbian national team at every level. His silver medal at the Under-19 World Cup in 2013 came as part of a run in which he averaged 7.1 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game across eight matches.
The qualifying tournament for the 2016 Rio Olympics saw him at his most dominant in a Serbian jersey. He averaged 17.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game and was named the most valuable player of the tournament. Serbia qualified with relative comfort and advanced through a tough group to the knockout stages. After defeating Croatia in the quarterfinals and Australia in the semifinals, the Serbs could not overcome the United States in the gold medal game and settled for silver.
In 2019, following a period of absence from international duty that generated criticism at home, Jokic committed to representing Serbia at the World Cup in China. Serbia progressed through their group without dropping a game, defeated Puerto Rico in the round of 16, and then fell to eventual finalists Spain 81 to 69. A defeat to Argentina ended their medal hopes, but a victory over the United States in the fifth-place classification and a subsequent win over the Czech Republic gave Serbia a creditable fifth-place finish. Jokic averaged 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game at a shooting percentage of 68%, finishing as the tournament’s second-best player behind Bogdan Bogdanovic.
Private Life and Personal Background
Nikola Jokic was born into a family with varied interests. His mother works as a nurse, and his father is an agricultural engineer. He has two older brothers, Strahinja and Nemanja, both of whom also play professional basketball in the United States. As a child, Jokic harboured an ambition to become a jockey, a dream that was set aside due to his size and weight. He practiced karate and judo in his early years and found gymnastics and physical education demanding rather than enjoyable.
His introduction to basketball came through his father, who was a passionate fan of the sport. In third grade, Jokic began training at BC Sombor, where his first coach was Gradimir Markovic. His development accelerated significantly under Dejan Milojevic, a former national team player who became his coach at Mega Lex. Milojevic believed early in Jokic’s potential and compared his future trajectory to those of Serbian legends Predrag Stojakovic and Vlade Divac.
Since 2014, Jokic has been in a relationship with Natalija Macesic. He stands 2.11 metres tall and weighs 113 kilograms, a frame that required considerable conditioning work during his early years in the NBA. His daily routine in Denver is precisely organised: he wakes at seven in the morning and is on the training court by eight, practicing for approximately six hours per day with meals every three hours. This regimen helped him shed around 14 pounds from his earlier weight. He also eliminated a habit of consuming three litres of Coca-Cola per day after joining the league.
Away from basketball, Jokic enjoys cartoons and the television series Friends, listens to music by the Serbian artist Djordje Balasevic, and is an enthusiastic animal lover with a dog named Bubica. He maintains an active presence on social networks and has been part of Nike’s global campaign titled “Come Out of Nowhere” since 2017. Through his foundation, the Nikolina Foundation, he has donated 1.5 million Serbian dinars to sports clubs in his hometown of Sombor.
Career Honours and Awards
On the international stage, Jokic won a silver medal with the Serbian Under-19 national team at the 2013 World Cup and a silver medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
In individual recognition, his club career honours include being named the most valuable player of the Adriatic League for the 2014 to 2015 season, the best young player of the Adriatic League in the same season, and selection to the NBA All-Rookie First Team for the 2015 to 2016 season. He was declared Serbian Basketball Player of the Year in 2018 and earned selection to the Western Conference All-Star team in 2019, becoming one of the most decorated European players of his generation in the process.
Nikola Jokic stands among the finest basketball players Serbia has ever produced. He occupies the center and power forward positions on the court and currently represents the Denver Nuggets in the NBA. He was born on February 19, 1995, in the city of Sombor.
Early Career and the Road to the NBA
Jokic began his development as a player with the youth program at basketball club Vojvodina Srbijagas. His performances there were strong enough to attract the attention of BeoBasket, the agency founded by Miško Ražnatović, one of the most influential basketball managers in European basketball.
From there, Nikola transferred to Mega Vizura, the club now known as Mega Lex. Playing with that team, he helped them reach the final of a qualifying tournament for the Euroleague and earned himself a spot in the tournament’s ideal five selection. He stepped up to the senior squad in 2012, going on to compete in 25 Adriatic League games and 13 Serbian Super League matches in the following season.
In 2013, he represented Serbia at the Under-19 World Cup hosted by the Czech Republic. Nikola and his teammates returned home with a silver medal. His outstanding form continued through the 2014 to 2015 season, during which he averaged 22 points per game across 24 matches while recording 222 rebounds and 527 index points. These numbers earned him the Most Valuable Player award in the Adriatic League as well as recognition as the competition’s leading scorer and rebounder. The club subsequently retired his number 15 jersey as a tribute to his contributions.
The Denver Nuggets selected him with the 41st overall pick in the NBA Draft, and his professional journey in North America began shortly after.
Arriving in the NBA: The First Seasons
Jokic participated in the Summer League in Las Vegas, performing well enough that the Nuggets’ management rewarded him with a four-year contract extension valued at 5.5 million dollars. He had been included in the broader squad for the 2015 European Championship but did not feature in the competition itself.
His first notable individual performance in the regular season came on February 1, 2016, when he scored 27 points against the Toronto Raptors. He also took part in that season’s All-Star Weekend, contributing 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Throughout the 2015 to 2016 season, he started 55 of the 80 games he played and was recognised as one of the best newcomers in the league, earning a place in the first All-Rookie Team.
Building a Legacy: Triple Doubles and Record-Breaking Performances
July 2016 marked Jokic’s return to international duty with the senior Serbian national team. He was instrumental in Serbia’s qualification for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, earning the Most Valuable Player award at the qualifying tournament. At the Olympics themselves, he helped Serbia reach the final, where they were defeated by the United States, taking home a silver medal.
His first career triple-double arrived on February 3, 2017, in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks. He finished with 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. Just one week later, he put up 40 points in New York, becoming only the second Serbian player in NBA history to achieve that figure, joining Predrag Stojakovic in that distinction.
Later that month, he set a new career high in a game against the Golden State Warriors, recording 17 points, 21 rebounds, and 12 assists for his second career triple-double. His third followed days later against the Chicago Bulls with 19 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists, leading Denver to a 125-to-107 victory. He delivered his fourth triple-double the very next night against Milwaukee, contributing 13 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 110 to 98 win.
On March 16, he recorded his fifth triple-double of that season as the Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 129 to 114, adding 17 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists to his tally. Two weeks after that, he surpassed even those numbers with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in a win over the Charlotte Hornets, before closing the season with 29 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 assists in a victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. His six triple-doubles that season placed him fourth in the entire league, behind only Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and LeBron James.
The 2017 to 2018 Season: Records Continue to Fall
The 2017 to 2018 season opened with Jokic establishing a new personal best of 41 points in a match against the Brooklyn Nets. On November 13, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week, the first Nuggets player to receive that honour since March 2013. An ankle injury subsequently sidelined him for seven games.
He opened his triple-double tally for the new year on January 8 in a game against Golden State, producing 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists, although Denver still came away with a loss. On February 15, 2018, he shattered his career record for assists in a single game, posting 30 points, 15 rebounds, and 17 assists in a 134-to-123 win over Milwaukee. In the same period, he achieved the fastest triple-double in NBA history, completing one in just 14 minutes and 33 seconds.
He delivered a third consecutive triple-double on February 23 against the San Antonio Spurs, contributing 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 122-to-119 victory. His eighth triple-double of the season came in mid-March against the Detroit Pistons, tying a franchise record set by Fat Lever during the 1988 to 1989 season. He was again voted Western Conference Player of the Week and recorded his 16th career triple-double in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers. A new five-year contract worth 148 million dollars was signed with Denver in July 2018.
Historic Achievements and the 2018 to 2019 Season
On October 20, Jokic scored 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 119 to 91 victory over the Phoenix Suns, joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to record a triple-double of 30 or more points without a single missed shot. Chamberlain had achieved the feat twice in 1966 and 1967. Jokic also became only the second Nuggets player to record multiple triple-doubles in the first two games of a season, and was named Western Conference Player of the Week for the third time, a distinction shared by only five players before him.
In November, he set a season high in one outing and then followed it with 37 points and 21 rebounds in a loss to Brooklyn. The Basketball Association of Serbia named him Serbian Basketball Player of the Year for 2018.
On January 5, 2019, he scored 39 points against the Charlotte Hornets, earning another Western Conference Player of the Week award. Three days later, his 20th career triple-double arrived in a game against Miami, where he put up 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. At just 23 years of age, he became the third youngest player in NBA history to reach 20 career triple-doubles. He set yet another personal scoring record on January 13, pouring in 40 points against Portland.
He was included in the Western Conference All-Star squad, becoming the first Nuggets player to earn consecutive All-Star selections since Carmelo Anthony. After a strong run of regular-season performances, Denver entered the playoffs for the first time in years. Jokic became only the fourth player in franchise history to record a triple-double in a playoff debut. Despite his efforts across the series, including 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists in one game and 21 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in the deciding match, Denver eventually fell to Portland in the next round. His playoff averages across 14 games were 25.1 points, 13 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game, with nearly 40 minutes of court time per outing.
The 2019 to 2020 Season and Pandemic Interruption
Jokic opened the 2019 to 2020 season with two late-game heroics. He scored a decisive basket with 1.2 seconds remaining to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 98 to 97, and two days later he helped Denver beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 100 to 98 in overtime with a similarly clutch contribution.
On January 6, 2020, he established a new career high of 47 points in a 123 to 115 win over the Atlanta Hawks. The following month, he recorded 30 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Utah Jazz, becoming only the third player in NBA history, after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to produce a triple-double with those specific statistical thresholds. The season was suspended on March 12, 2020, following the confirmation that Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert had tested positive for the coronavirus.
International Duty With Serbia
Jokic’s international career mirrors the excellence of his club performances. As part of the Under-19 national team in 2013, he averaged 7.1 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game across eight matches, helping Serbia win silver at the World Cup. At the qualifying tournament for the Rio Olympics, he averaged 17.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player as Serbia secured their place at the Games.
At the Olympics themselves, Serbia advanced from the group stage with two wins and three losses before defeating Croatia in the quarterfinals and Australia in the semifinals. They fell short against the United States in the final but claimed a silver medal.
His decision to skip some national team competitions in the years that followed was received with disappointment by the Serbian public. When he confirmed in May 2019 that he would compete for Serbia at the World Cup in China, much of that frustration was set aside. Serbia won all of their group stage matches and advanced comfortably before defeating Puerto Rico. They then lost to Spain and suffered another defeat against Argentina. In the fifth-place playoff, Serbia defeated the United States 94 to 89, an outcome that stood as one of the tournament’s notable surprises, and then overcame the Czech Republic to claim fifth place overall. Jokic finished as the second-best performer of the competition behind Bogdan Bogdanovic, averaging 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game at a field goal percentage of 68 percent.
Life Away From the Court
Nikola Jokic was raised in Sombor by a mother who works as a nurse and a father who is an agricultural engineer. He has two older brothers, Strahinja and Nemanja, both of whom also play basketball in the United States. As a child, Jokic’s ambition was to become a jockey, a goal he could not pursue due to his weight. He trained in karate and judo during his youth and found gymnastics and push-ups particularly challenging in physical education.
His father’s passion for basketball eventually steered Nikola toward the sport. He began training at BC Sombor in his third year of primary school, working first under coach Gradimir Markovic and later developing significantly under Dejan Milojevic, a former national team player and coach at Mega Lex. Milojevic believed strongly in his potential and foresaw a career at the level of Predrag Stojakovic and Vlade Divac.
Since 2014, Jokic has been in a relationship with Natalija Macesic. He is active on social media and was included in Nike’s global campaign titled “Come out of nowhere” in 2017. He stands 2.11 meters tall and weighs 113 kilograms. His daily routine in Denver is tightly structured: he rises at 7 in the morning, is on the training court by 8, trains for approximately six hours daily, and eats every three hours, a regimen that helped him lose around 14 pounds. He has not consumed the three litres of Coca-Cola he used to drink each day since joining the NBA. In his leisure time, he enjoys watching animated shows and the television series Friends, listens to music by Djordje Balasevic, and cares for his dog Bubica. He is a dedicated animal lover and, through the Nikolina Foundation, donated 1.5 million dinars to sports clubs in Sombor.
The 2020 to 2021 Season and the First MVP Award
When the NBA returned from its pandemic-forced suspension in a quarantine bubble in Orlando, Jokic picked up where he had left off. The Nuggets produced one of the most extraordinary playoff runs in recent memory, overcoming a three-games-to-one deficit against both the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers before falling to the eventual champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, in the Western Conference Finals. Jokic was the engine of that run, averaging figures that approached a statistical triple-double across the entire postseason.
The regular season that followed, in 2020 to 2021, was the finest individual campaign of his career to that point. He averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game across 72 games, leading Denver to the third seed in the Western Conference despite a season-ending injury to star guard Jamal Murray. At the conclusion of the season, the award that had long seemed inevitable finally arrived. Jokic was named the 2020 to 2021 NBA Most Valuable Player, becoming the lowest-drafted player in league history to claim the honour. The 41st overall pick from 2014 had reached the summit of the sport. His 16 triple-doubles during the season were the second most in the entire league.
Back-to-Back: The 2021 to 2022 MVP Season
Rather than settle into the role of a one-time award recipient, Jokic elevated his game further in the following year. He averaged a career-high 27.1 points per game alongside 13.8 rebounds, shattering his previous career best of 10.8 per game, while also adding 7.9 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.9 blocks, shooting 58.3 percent from the field. The numbers were sufficiently dominant that the MVP award followed for a second consecutive season, making him one of a small number of players in NBA history to claim back-to-back honours. He was also named to the All-NBA First Team for the second successive year and participated in the All-Star Game as a starter for the second time.
2022 to 2023: The Championship and Finals MVP
The 2022 to 2023 season brought the crowning achievement of Jokic’s career and of the Denver Nuggets as a franchise. Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers claimed the regular-season MVP award that year, ending Jokic’s consecutive run at three, but the postseason told a different and more consequential story. Jokic averaged 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 9.8 assists during the regular season. In the playoffs, his performance reached historic proportions. He became the first player in NBA history to record more than 500 points, 250 rebounds, and 150 assists in a single postseason, and the first to lead all players in all three categories across an entire playoff run.
The Nuggets swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals and then faced the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. Jokic was unanimously voted the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player after averaging 30.2 points, 14.0 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 58.3 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from three-point range. Denver claimed its first NBA championship in franchise history, and Jokic stood at the centre of it all. He also set a record for the most triple-doubles in a single postseason, finishing with 10.
A Third MVP: The 2023 to 2024 Season
Having already won two MVP awards and a championship, Jokic returned in 2023 to 2024 and produced yet another season of staggering completeness. He averaged 26.4 points, 9.0 assists, and 12.4 rebounds per game, finishing top five in the NBA in total figures across all three categories, something no player had managed since Wilt Chamberlain in the 1960s. He also became the second player in NBA history to accumulate at least 2,000 points, 900 rebounds, and 700 assists in a single season, joining Oscar Robertson’s legendary 1961 to 1962 campaign.
Jokic was named the NBA Most Valuable Player for a third time, receiving 79 of the available first-place votes. He became only the ninth player in league history to win three or more MVP awards, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Moses Malone. Denver finished second in the Western Conference but was eliminated in the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The 2024 Paris Olympics: A Bronze Medal
Following his third MVP season, Jokic returned to international duty with the Serbian national team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Serbia entered the tournament as one of the stronger sides outside of the United States, and Jokic lived up to that billing throughout the competition. He finished the tournament averaging 18.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, 8.7 assists, and two steals per game on 53.8 percent shooting from the field.
Serbia fell narrowly to the United States in the semifinals after leading for more than 33 minutes before conceding the advantage late. In the bronze medal game against Germany, Jokic recorded the fifth triple-double in Olympic basketball history, finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists as Serbia won 93 to 83. Serbia claimed its first Olympic medal since winning silver in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. The bronze medal added yet another international honour to a career already rich with representative achievement.
The 2024 to 2025 Season: Continued Dominance
The 2024 to 2025 season saw Jokic produce perhaps his most statistically complete year yet. He averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game, while shooting 41.7 percent from three-point range and recording 1.8 steals per game. Despite averaging career highs in assists, points, and steals, he finished second in MVP voting behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was named to the All-NBA First Team for the fifth time and selected as an All-Star for the seventh consecutive year. The Basketball Association of Serbia named him Serbian Basketball Player of the Year for the fourth time. Denver reached the second round of the playoffs, where they pushed the eventual champions to a seventh game before being eliminated.
The 2025 to 2026 Season: A Living Record
Now in his eleventh NBA season at the age of 30, Jokic shows no signs of diminishing. He is averaging 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game in the 2025 to 2026 season. He is currently the NBA leader in both rebounds and assists. He was selected as an All-Star for the eighth consecutive season and named to the All-NBA First Team for the sixth time. His career triple-double total places him second all-time among NBA players, and he holds the record for the fastest triple-double in league history, achieved in 14 minutes and 33 seconds. He remains the only player in NBA history to record a game with 30 or more points, 20 or more rebounds, and 20 or more assists, a feat that underscores just how singular his combination of size, skill, and basketball intelligence truly is.
Honours and Awards
Among his representative achievements, Jokic won a silver medal at the Under-20 World Cup in 2013, a silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games, and a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. At club and individual level, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the Adriatic League in the 2014 to 2015 season, earned the Best Young Player of the Adriatic League award in the same year, and was included in the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2015 to 2016. He won the NBA Most Valuable Player award in 2021, 2022, and 2024, was named NBA Finals MVP in 2023, and led the Denver Nuggets to their first NBA championship that same year. He has been selected to the All-Star Game eight consecutive times from 2019 through 2026, named to the All-NBA First Team six times, and declared Serbian Basketball Player of the Year in 2018, 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025.