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Serbia's Nikola Jokic at the 2022 FIBA EuroBasket tournament in Berlin, September 11, 2022. FIBA photo

Serbia's Nikola Jokic at the 2022 FIBA EuroBasket tournament in Berlin, September 11, 2022

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2022 FIBA EuroBasket

Agence France-Presse

<div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1721635238221072224_FIBA_SRB_Nikola Jokic.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Serbia&#x27;s Nikola Jokic at the 2022 FIBA EuroBasket tournament in Berlin, September 11, 2022. FIBA photoSerbia&#x27;s Nikola Jokic at the 2022 FIBA EuroBasket tournament in Berlin, September 11, 2022. FIBA photo"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Serbia&#x27;s Nikola Jokic at the 2022 FIBA EuroBasket tournament in Berlin, September 11, 2022. <em>FIBA photo</em></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">BELGRADE, Serbia -- After winning three MVP titles and one NBA championship, Nikola Jokic stands on the threshold of securing eternal glory in Serbia if he can bring home an Olympic gold medal to the basketball-mad country.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Jokic&#x27;s return to international competition comes a year after he skipped the Basketball World Cup in the Philippines, where Serbia finished second after a nail-biting 83-77 loss to Germany in the final.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The 29-year-old&#x27;s absence from that tournament ignited outrage in Serbia just months after being lavished with an outpouring of love when he led the Denver Nuggets to an NBA title win.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Serbian fans took to social media to slam Jokic, with the NBA star center labeled a &quot;traitor&quot; by many.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/24/23/nikola-jokic-to-miss-2023-fiba-world-cup-report"></a><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/24/23/nikola-jokic-to-miss-2023-fiba-world-cup-report">FROM JULY 2023: Nikola Jokic to miss 2023 FIBA World Cup</a></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;The nation&#x27;s sentiment is entirely justified in believing that playing for the national team is more of a hobby for him, rather than an act of patriotism or genuine desire,&quot; Serbian sports journalist Vladimir Zivanovic told AFP.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Basketball has long been an obsession in Serbia, with some domestic teams regularly selling out games in Belgrade&#x27;s 18,000-seat Stark Arena.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Fans are known to wake early in the morning to watch NBA games while also participating in colorful rivalries that make Serbia one of the best places to watch live basketball in the world.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Serbia&#x27;s performances in France will be among the most closely watched sports involving the country during the Olympics.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Jokic&#x27;s international career began with promise, after winning a silver medal in Rio during the 2016 Olympics.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">But since then, he has been unable to win any major international tournament with Serbia -- a fact he hopes to change in Paris.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Serbian national team coach Svetislav Pesic said Jokic was one of the team&#x27;s vital components heading into the Olympics.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;Jokic&#x27;s participation certainly matters, in every sense. Both from the perspective of individual quality and from the perspective of his personality,&quot; said Pesic during an interview in June.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong>- Hometown and horses -</strong></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The media-shy MVP has always been upfront about valuing his time away from the game -- a point driven home in media appearances during his NBA title run last year.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;The job is done, we can go home now,&quot; he famously said during an on-court interview moments after winning the final.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Off the court, Jokic regularly returns to his native Sombor -- a sleepy northern city near the border with Croatia.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">There, the NBA star prefers to keep a low profile and shuns interviews, while spending time with his family and indulging his other passion: horses.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">When away from the race track, Jokic regularly drops by his former school in Sombor to talk to young players on a small court.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Videos posted on social media over the years have also seen him dancing to folk music with friends or towering over revelers at Serbia&#x27;s famed nightclubs.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong>- MVP -</strong></span><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1721635311240NBA_DEN-Nikola Jokic_AFP v2_embed.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets dribbles the ball during the game against the Phoenix Suns on December 25, 2022 at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. Garrett Ellwood, NBAE via Getty Images/AFP/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets dribbles the ball during the game against the Phoenix Suns on December 25, 2022 at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. <em>Garrett Ellwood, NBAE via Getty Images/AFP/File</em></span></span></span></strong></span><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Back on the court, his playing style is reminiscent of a formula developed in the former Yugoslavia described as &quot;jazz basketball&quot; -- which relies on individual creativity rather than speed and sheer power.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Jokic is known for keeping things simple on the court, mixing light movement and simple tap-ins along with laser-sharp precision -- especially with his passing game, which saw him finish second in the league with overall assists this year.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">In May, Jokic was named the NBA&#x27;s Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the third time in just four seasons.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The title followed an all star-run where he averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and nine assists to beat Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks in final voting for the award.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">But securing the latest MVP title was followed by a disappointing loss during the Western Conference semifinals to the Minnesota Timberwolves.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The early exit in theory has allowed the 6ft 11in (2.11m) center plenty of time to rest ahead of the Olympics, where Serbia is among the shortlist of favorites to finish in the medals.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Basketball was first introduced by an American Red Cross envoy a century ago, while the former Yugoslavia&#x27;s government invested generously in the sport, with basketball courts built in almost every neighborhood.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Balkan remains a fertile field for talent and Jokic is firmly established among the region&#x27;s best.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Pressure to bring his winning NBA ways to Paris during the Olympics remains high.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;The expectation is certainly that he will make up for all the previous years and be the best player on the team,&quot; said Zivanovic.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;Otherwise, the question of his future participation will arise.&quot;</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></span></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>After winning three MVP titles and one NBA championship, Nikola Jokic stands on the threshold of securing eternal glory in Serbia if he can bring home an Olympic gold medal to the basketball-mad country.</p>

After winning three MVP titles and one NBA championship, Nikola Jokic stands on the threshold of securing eternal glory in Serbia if he can bring home an Olympic gold medal to the basketball-mad country.

Pressure builds in Serbia for Jokic to deliver at Olympics

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Pressure builds in Serbia for Jokic to deliver at Olympics

Agence France-Presse,

Mina Pejakovic and David Stout

Published July 22, 2024 04:04 PM PHT

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Updated July 23, 2024 08:30 PM PHT

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