“Part of Our Culture”: Violent Altercation That Forced Cops to Intervene Mid-Game Draws Honest Response from Nikola Jokic

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has come a long way since making his pro ball debut with the Mega Basket in Serbia in 2012. In fact, the Joker has quickly become one of the most sensational stars in the league since his entry into the NBA in 2015. Meanwhile, Jokic recently made an attempt to reconnect with his roots by showing up at the Serbian Cup semifinal between Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade despite his busy schedule during the All-Star Weekend. However, Jokic ended up witnessing one of the most horrible fan moments in the history of the sport. Following the violent altercation that forced the police to intervene in the middle of the game, Nikola Jokic recently shared an honest response about the embarrassing incident.

During the Belgrade derby, Nikola Jokic showed up during the fourth quarter of the game. However, the game that was constantly interrupted by the fans was ultimately stopped, leaving Jokic unimpressed.

Nikola Jokic concerned about the Serbian league’s reputation

With a little over seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, the referees walked off the court after both team’s fans refused to stop throwing stuff on the court despite multiple requests from the referees and players. The game was halted when the Crvena Avezda were leading by 69-60. The referees returned half an hour later, after heavily-armed cops came in to protect the players, staff, and officials. Nikola Jokic recently expressed his disappointment about the incident while revealing why such incidents were extremely harmful to the Serbian league.

While talking to BasketNews, Nikola Jokic said, “To be honest, it’s been part of our culture for so long that it is what it is. I think it’s really sad that they’re stopping the games, and I think we need to start rebuilding from the ground.”

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The five-time All-Star insisted that there was a need for rebuilding the Siberian basketball culture for the league to be recognized as one of the biggest in Europe. Moreover, Jokic said, “But right now, there’s so much stuff that it’s very hard, very hard.” Thus, Jokic was deeply upset about the violent altercation during the Belgrade rivalry which warrants a change.

Can Jokic win his third MVP this season?

After winning two back-to-back MVPs in 2021 and 2022, many experts believe that Nikola Jokic might end up making a hat trick of MVPs this season. Recently, the Siberian star led his team to the All-Star week with a three-game winning streak. Moreover, Jokic scored his 21st triple-double of the season during an impressive 118-109 victory against the Dallas Mavericks.

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In 57 appearances this season, Nikola Jokic has averaged 24.7 points with 11.5 rebounds and 10.1 assists per game, leading his team to the top spot in the Western Conference with a 41-18 record. Given his amazing all-around performance and crucial contribution to the Nuggets this season, the 28-year-old could likely end up winning the 2023 MVP this season. However, it would be more thrilling to see if the Nuggets center can secure his first championship victory or not.