There are plenty of misconceptions about the Serbian giant, Nikola Jokić. One of them was recently crushed during the All-Star Weekend. So, we have all seen Jokic put up a straight game face all the time. This time, thanks to Kevin Hart, we saw the Denver Nuggets star break into uncontrollable laughter, changing the perception toward him. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s an unchallenged claim on the internet arguing that Joker doesn’t really care about the ball game. Yes, the big man’s off-season activities might give that idea, but come on, that can’t be the case.

Over the years, we have seen the ballers sweat it out at the gym and improve their game in the off-season. But ever since the Nuggets won their first title, the 2023 Finals MVP’s off-season video clips emerged. It didn’t seem like the Joker even touched the ball during the break. All we saw was him partying and racing with his horses. Following that, many came to the conclusion that Jokic doesn’t take basketball seriously. 

Despite all this, the big man returned the very next season and won the regular MVP season. So, what does actually happen in the background? Does Nikola Jokić really care about the game? The answer is simply yes. We aren’t claiming it without any proof. In fact, there’s a four-second video proof.

We saw how the Serbian team gave Team USA a run for their money at the Paris Olympics semi-finals. Nikola Jokic played an influential role in it, not only with the ball in hand but also with the coach’s board. The latest docuseries ‘Court of Gold’ captured the gem of a moment where the big man can be seen aggressively drawing up a play to tackle the US side. To be honest, It was the most immersed Jokic was ever captured on camera.

However, we could only see a glimpse of it, as Serbian coach Svetislav Pešić forced the camera crew out. Not to blame the coach, he badly wanted to win the game. Anyway, the important question was, if Jokic was serious, why didn’t he show much emotion? Let’s find out!

Why doesn’t Nikola Jokić show much emotion?

Once again, the answer is plain and simple. The 30-year-old is humble and grounded. Most importantly, he values work-life balance. We have seen the late Kobe Bryant and LeBron James sacrifice a lot of family time to achieve greatness. Whereas Jokic isn’t that type. We aren’t claiming that Nikola should be the norm, but it’s just impressive to see how great sporting giants look at their favorite sport.

A great example of Jokić’s mindset came after winning the 2023 championship. After winning the 2023 championship, one of the reporters at the presser asked if his fatherhood helped his basketball career in any way. Guess what? Jokic said, “Nah. That cannot help you.” 

Above all, he didn’t stop at that. The 3x MVP continued, saying, ” I knew that even before, that basketball is not the main thing in my life, and probably never [will] be. And to be honest, I like it, because I have something more at home, [something] that is more important than basketball. I think that’s [what I’ve] learned. I already knew that, but this kind of proved that I was correct.” 

In short, Joker put his family over basketball, the same sport in which millions of players shed their sweat and blood to get in. Truly insane! Now, the video clip proved that Jokic does take the game seriously, but he prioritizes it differently than most.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.