Photo: Nikola Jokic goes shirtless, dances in delight to celebrate Serbia's Olympic bronze
It’s either very easy or nearly impossible to amuse Nikola Jokic, but after Serbia’s bronze-medal victory, the NBA MVP seemed thoroughly entertained as he went shirtless and danced in celebration.
Nikola Jokic and Serbia faced a challenging path to secure the bronze, being in the same group as powerhouse Team USA. Jokic had to elevate his play consistently to keep Serbia in contention. Despite losing to Team USA in the semifinals, Serbia rebounded and claimed the bronze medal by defeating Germany.
A photo shared by NBA Central on X (formerly Twitter) showed the MVP enjoying the moment with his teammates, celebrating shirtless.
Videos also surfaced of Nikola Jokic and the Serbian team singing patriotic songs to celebrate their 93-83 victory over Germany in the men’s basketball bronze-medal match at the Olympics.
Jokic was instrumental in securing the bronze, delivering a triple-double in the match against Germany. He recorded 19 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, all game highs, leading Serbia to victory.
Throughout the 2024 Olympics, Jokic averaged 18.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.
His outstanding performance earned him a spot on the Olympics All-Star Five, alongside USA’s LeBron James and Steph Curry, France's Victor Wembanyama and Germany's Dennis Schroder.
Nikola Jokic joins elite Olympic company
Basketball has witnessed many record-breaking performances on the global stage, but some feats remain exceptionally rare. Recording a triple-double in the Olympics is one such achievement, accomplished by only four players in history, with Nikola Jokic being the latest.
Jokic's 19-point, 12-rebound and 11-assist performance in the bronze-medal match marked just the fifth triple-double in Olympic history.
Earlier this Olympics, LeBron James notched his second triple-double, notching 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a crucial 95-91 win over Jokic and Serbia, helping propel Team USA into the gold-medal game.
He made history as he became the only player to record multiple triple-doubles in the Olympics, with his achievements spanning 12 years. His first came during the 2012 London Olympics, where he posted 11 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists against Australia.
The third Olympic triple-double was achieved by Luka Doncic during his debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games, which were held in 2021 due to the pandemic. In a game against France, the Slovenian guard recorded 16 points, 10 rebounds and 18 assists. Despite his efforts, Slovenia narrowly lost 90-89.
The first-ever Olympic triple-double was recorded by Alexander Alexandrovich Belov, known as Sasha Belov, during the 1976 Montreal Games. He tallied 23 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in a game against Canada.
Belov is also remembered for scoring the game-winning basket in the 1972 Munich Olympics, securing gold for the Soviet Union. Tragically, Belov passed away just two years later, in 1978, at the age of 26 due to cardiac sarcoma, a type of cancer.