They See Me Rollin'...
NBA MVP Nikola Jokic seen cruising around his hometown in a horse-drawn buggy, might be the new king of Serbia
Over the course of the past several seasons, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has established himself as the best big man in the NBA. In June, Jokic’s long journey from underrated Euro to bonafide superstar culminated when he became the Nuggets’ first-ever NBA MVP, earning 91 of 101 possible votes. Unfortunately for Jokic, the accolade almost immediately coincided with a sweep at the hands of the Phoenix Suns that sent the Nuggets packing for a third consecutive postseason. While most of Jokic’s teammates booked their flights to the land of bottomless Mai Tais and white-sand beaches, however, Jokic set his sights on somewhere very different:
His native Serbia, where he was spotted on Wednesday doing this.
Serbia is officially recognized as a parliamentary constitutional republic, but that’s all over now. It’s now a monarchy and Jokic its new king. Bend thy damn knee.
Geopolitical yucks aside, this is somewhat refreshing to see. In today’s NBA, it’s a daily contest to see which sixth man has the coolest Rolls-Royce hood ornament, and here we see the current MVP cruising around his hometown on a personal horse-drawn buggy. You may tolerate the Instagram one-upmanship. Hell, maybe it’s what you like most about the NBA. But you have to admit that this is a breath of fresh air. And unlike the cautionary tale of Jokic’s countryman Darko Milicic—now running an apple farm in Serbia—Jokic was able to establish himself as one of the world’s greats before returning to his humble roots.
All in all, not a bad way to spend summer vacation. Well, at least until the horse drops one, that is.