"He ready for horse racing & Serbian dance music": Nikola Jokic leaves fans in splits with blunt response on joining national team for Paris Olympics
NBA fans were left in splits after Nikola Jokic’s answer concerning his appearance for the national team in the Paris Olympics. Barely over the playoff series loss, Jokic was posed with a question that perhaps he wasn’t ready for.
The Minnesota Timberwolves sent home the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets, in the second round of the playoffs. The Nuggets blew a 15-point lead in Game 7 in front of their home crowd.
When a reporter asked Jokic if he was going to participate in the Paris Olympics, he said he wasn’t sure about it.
“I don’t know my friend we will see. I need to think about it,” he replied.
NBA fans were divided on social media. While some felt that a question of that nature after a series loss was painful, others said that the Serbian star didn’t care enough about basketball.
Last season, after winning the title, Nikola Jokic made a comment that he just wanted to go back to his horses rather than attend the team’s championship parade.
"Bro just wants to get back to his horse," a fan wrote, alluding to Jokic's comments last season.
“All I heard was "My horses will decide," another fan wrote.
Alluding to a viral video of Jokic dancing in Serbia after winning the title, another fan said:
"He ready for horse racing and Serbian dance music."
Jokic clarified that basketball was not the most important thing in his life. Perhaps his comments were taken out of context. Alluding to Jokic's comments about his national team appearance, a few of the fans said that Joker didn't care about the game.
"This guy does NOT care about this sport bro," a fan said.
However, some fans sympathized with Jokic. While some called the question "cruel," others said it was similar to making him do extra work on his off day.
"I think post game interviews after a loss are cruel and heartless," a fan wrote.
"Basically asking him to work overtime on Saturday," commented a fan.
Nikola Jokic says the Timberwolves are built to beat the Nuggets
After Game 2 of the Western Conference semi-finals, the Denver Nuggets didn’t look like themselves. While some media houses predicted a clean sweep, the Nuggets came back to take a 3-2 lead. However, they couldn’t get over the Game 7 hump.
When Nikola Jokic was asked if the Timberwolves could become their potential rival in the future, the three-time MVP said that the Minnesota team was built to beat them.
"Yes. I think they’re built to beat us in some ways. Just look at their roster. They have basically, two all-stars, two first defensive players of the year, Mike Conley, who is the most underrated player in the NBA, probably. I love the guy. He’s so good, and he always makes the right play," Jokic said.
"On the bench, they have the Sixth Man of the Year. One team that can do literally everything. They can be big or small," he added.