Novak Djokovic categorically declared Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets, an NBA champion and MVP of the Finals, to be the world’s greatest basketball player.
Novak Djokovic is not merely a tennis fan, he is a sports fan.
The Serbian star, a winner of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, is an admirer of his peers from other sports – as demonstrated by his friendship with football legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Djokovic, who will hope to win his 25th major title in February at the Australian Open, is also friends with compatriot and basketball superstar Nikola Jokic.
Jokic has won the National Basketball League [NBA] Most Valuable Player award on three occasions and led the Denver Nuggets to their first title in franchise history in 2023.
In 2023, Djokovic expressed his admiration for the basketball star.
Novak Djokovic said the best basketball player in the world in 2023 was Nikola Jokic
In a 2023 interview with the ATP Tour, Djokovic said: “Nikola Jokic is the best basketball player in the world at the moment. Incredible guy.
“Everyone is so amazed with his skills, what he does on a basketball court. I’m not a basketball expert, so I can’t really talk about his game so much, but I’m a huge fan.
“Obviously a Serbian basketball player coming from Serbia, dominating the NBA, is something that doesn’t happen very often.
“I think it never happened in the history of our basketball in Serbia, that we had best basketball player in the NBA. That’s amazing. We all love him, support him.”
The football team Novak Djokovic invested in currently sits in playoff spot
The ATP rule Novak Djokovic said he and Rafael Nadal were likely to break
Three ATP Tour stars who could retire from professional tennis in 2026
Cristiano Ronaldo shares how he really feels about Novak Djokovic
Who Virat Kohli wanted to win the 2025 Wimbledon Men’s Singles title
Jokic is still recognised as one of the best, if not the best, player in the NBA in 2026. In the NBA’s first MVP ladder of 2026, Jokic ranked first.
The Serbian legend hyperextended his knee in a recent NBA game and is expected to miss the rest of January.
Jokic’s high praise for Djokovic
After playing game four of the 2023 Western Conference Finals, Jokic heaped praise on his compatriot.
“He is a guy who represents Serbia in a much bigger scene,” Jokic told reporters.
“He’s a Serbian ambassador, and he’s really [an] idol to the kids in Serbia and not just on the court, [but with] the things that his foundation is doing. He is the guy who can you can look up [to]. ‘I want to be like him’.
“He is doing something great for kids, for Serbia, for everything. So we cannot be compared.”
The Denver Nuggets are currently 23-12 on the season having most recently lost to the Brooklyn Nets.
The team sit fourth in the Western Conference, behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers.
Leave a Reply