Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokić ( YOH-kitch; Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Јокић [nǐkola jôkitɕ] ; born February 19, 1995) is a Serbian professional basketball player who is a center for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Joker", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Jokić is an eight-time NBA All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team member (including six first-team selections) and a three-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP). He represents the Serbian national team, with which he won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and a bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Often considered the greatest draft steal in NBA history, Jokić was selected 41st overall by the Nuggets in the second round of the 2014 NBA draft. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2016. In the 2018–19 NBA season, while leading the Nuggets to the Western Conference Semifinals, Jokić earned his first All-Star and All-NBA First Team selections. The following season, he led the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals. In the 2020–21 NBA season and 2021–22 NBA season, Jokić won back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player Awards. In the 2022–23 NBA season, he finished second in MVP voting and was named NBA Finals MVP after leading the Nuggets to their first-ever NBA championship. The following season, Jokić won his third NBA Most Valuable Player Award. In the 2024–25 NBA season, he finished second in MVP voting while averaging a triple-double with 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game. The following season, Jokić averaged a triple-double for a second consecutive year with 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game, finishing second in MVP voting again. He also became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in both rebounds and assists per game in the same season.