"The man is not a machine": Nikola Jokic supported by former teammate after giving Team Serbia's FIBA World Cup 2023 campaign a miss

Nikola Jokic will not play in the FIBA World Cup next month, as he is not a part of Serbia's 20-man preliminary roster that was announced on Monday.

After it was announced that Nikola Jokic will be missing this year's FIBA World Cup, there was disappointment among Serbian fans, who were hopeful the 2023 NBA champion and Finals MVP would eventually be available for the tournament.

There were some, though, who understood his decision, such as his former teammate Marko Simonovic, who previously won silver medals with the Serbian national team at the FIBA World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016.

Simonovic said that Nikola Jokic deserves some rest following such an exhausting season with the Denver Nuggets:

"When you're the best player of a team you're always double-teamed, when you're the best in the world you're guarded by three players every game. You play 100 games in a season, you get beaten up for a 100 games. The man is not a machine.

"I have to take the players' side a bit. Especially when talking about Nikola Jokic. We've all seen how he acts and plays the game, how much he wanted to win a medal last year [at the EuroBasket], and how he lead our team. Do you know how hard the failure hit him? I was a witness to that, and can say the same about the WC in 2019."

Nikola Jokic’s absence is a big blow for the Serbian team, which will also be without Barcelona’s Nikola Kalinic and Vasilije Micic, who moved to the NBA this offseason and joined the OKC Thunder.

Serbia's 20-man preliminary roster:

Aleksa Avramovic (Partizan)
Dusan Beslac (Vojvodina)
Bogdan Bogdanovic (Atlanta Hawks)
Ognjen Dobric (Virtus Bologna)
Dejan Davidovac (Crvena Zvezda)
Ognjen Jaramaz (Partizan)
Nikola Jovic (Miami Heat)
Stefan Jovic (Zaragoza)
Vanja Marinkovic (Baskonia)
Nikola Milutinov (Olympiacos)
Nemanja Nedovic (Crvena Zvezda)
Filip Petrusev (Philadelphia 76ers)
Aleksej Pokusevski (OKC Thunder)
Aleksa Radanov (Peristeri)
Dusan Ristic (Tenerife)
Alen Smailagic (Partizan)
Borisa Simanic (Zaragoza)
Nikola Topic (Crvena Zvezda)
Uros Trifunovic (Partizan)
Marko Guduric (Fenerbahce)

Serbia, who came in fifth at the last FIBA World Cup, will participate in six preparation games before moving to the Philippines for the start of the tournament. It will then play in Group B against South Sudan, China and Puerto Rico.

Serbia head coach explains why Nikola Jokic decided to skip FIBA World Cup 2023

After leading the Nuggets to their first-ever NBA championship, Nikola Jokic was questionable for the FIBA World Cup. He needed significant time to rest and prepare for a title-defending 2023/24 season and that made his presence in the tournament doubftful.

Eventually he will be out and Serbia head coach Svetislav Pesic had to address Nikola Jokic's status while speaking with media on Monday. Pesic explained that physical and mental fatigue led the NBA superstar to skip the tournament.

“With Jokic, we had several conversations, and I must say they were some of the best conversations I’ve had with players who couldn’t make it to the roster. He’s physically and mentally exhausted, not feeling ready to take responsibility at the moment,” Pesic said on Monday.

Pesic and the Basketball Federation of Serbia attempted to change Jokic's mind, but the big man had already made his decision.

“[Serbian national team head coach Svetislav] Pešić and the leaders of the KSS tried to change the decision,” Dejan Stankovic of Mozzart Sports wrote on Sunday. “In the previous day, Bogdan Bogdanović, who was in contact with Jokić, was also involved in the operation. However, there was no turning point."

Nikola Jokic previously competed for the Serbian national team at the 2016 Summer Olympics, the 2019 FIBA World Cup and the EuroBasket 2022.

The two-time NBA MVP averaged 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists in 69 starts during the regular season. He averaged 30.0 points, 13.5 boards and 9.5 assists in 20 starts in the postseason

After playing a total of 89 games with the Nuggets and winning the title and Finals MVP, Nikola Jokic intends to rest and get ready for the new season.