Watch: Rare childhood video of Nikola Jokic playing basketball goes viral
Nikola Jokic's remarkable performance in leading the Denver Nuggets to the NBA title has propelled him into the conversation as the best player in the world. Hailing from Serbia, Jokic stands out for his unique playing style and seemingly unathletic physique. Despite these unconventional attributes, he has defied expectations and garnered recognition as an exceptional talent in the basketball world.
Jokic went viral before for his childhood pictures showing him as a chubbier kid. Now a video has been released of a young Jokic playing basketball in Serbia. He is shown to have the same tight handles he displays nowadays.
The young version of the MVP also showed off his finishing ability on layups and used his size to out-rebound the smaller kids around him. The potential of Jokic’s future can be seen despite his young age. He clearly has skills beyond his age in the video. There is no confirmed information on how old he was in the video.
Rare footage of Nikola Jokic playing basketball as a kid‼️🃏 https://t.co/rzlB4ldl1Z
Jokic’s early playing career
Jokic grew up in Sombor, Serbia. It is in the northern region of Serbia. He grew up in a small apartment with his family and two older brothers.
His brothers Nemanja and Strahinja are often seen in the arena at Nuggets games. They travel with the Nuggets for road games as well and were seen celebrating Jokic’s title on the court after Game 5 in Denver. His brothers are 13 years older than Jokic.
Jokic found a love for basketball early and often played against his older brothers, who are both tall as well. Nemanja played college basketball in the United States at Detroit-Mercy. He also played in a minor basketball league.
Jokic was overlooked when he entered the NBA. He was scouted as unathletic and a low-impact player. The Nuggets drafted him in the second round with the 41st overall pick in the 2014 draft and the rest is history.
“Basketball is not the main thing in my life. It’s something that I’m good at.”
Conversation with the Finals MVP, Nikola Jokic for NBA Today: https://t.co/lB2I8bGzJ8
Jokic first played professionally when he was 17 in the Serbian pro league for the team known as Mega Basket. He played limited minutes in five games at the senior level in his first season.
He then played two seasons with the club that participated in the Serbian and Adriatic leagues. He averaged 11.4 points per game in the Adriatic League in the 2013-14 season.
Jokic played one more season in Serbia after being drafted by the Nuggets before coming over to the NBA. In his final season in Serbia, he averaged 15.4 points in his 24 games in the Adriatic League and was named MVP of the league. He averaged 18.4 points and 10.4 rebounds in 14 games in the Serbian League that season.