The Nuggets and the Lakers had a notable spectator, in the front row of their duel, a few days ago.
Before the start of the Indian Wells tournament, Novak Djokovic made a quick detour to Los Angeles to see LeBron James score his 40,000th point, and especially to see his friend Nikola Jokic in an NBA match.
“What he has achieved, not only for Serbian basketball but also for European basketball in general, is incredible”
“What he has achieved, not only for Serbian basketball but also for European basketball in general, is incredible” explains the tennis player. “He has rewritten the history books over the last three years, and he continues. He is in his best years. He is the best. We are so proud of him. I'm a huge fan of everything he does. We don't have many athletes like him in (Serbian) history. And he didn’t finish…”
For Ogi Stojakovic, Serbian assistant at the Nuggets, it's incredible to see two compatriots at the top.
“You have the best tennis player in the world, and the best basketball player in the world, in my opinion” he explains at the Denver Post. “They support each other. It's really cool. We can be proud to be a small part of it all. »
The two men had already met in Belgrade, to celebrate Serbia's beautiful and surprising silver medal at the last World Cup, acquired without Nikola Jokic.
” It's incredible. We're talking about potentially, and I know it's a much-discussed subject, the greatest tennis player in history.” continues Mike Malone. “One of the greatest athletes of all time… But what really struck me when I went to talk to him was how nice he was, how well he knew our team, how well he was complimentary about what we do and how we play, and how aware he was of all the times I've been to Serbia and what it meant to their country, his country. »
If they are not necessarily close friends, because they crossed paths quite late, Novak Djokovic and Nikola Jokic nevertheless followed their respective trajectories. Parallel feats necessarily remarkable.
“For me, seeing this dynamic of relationships, of communication, the way they elevate each other's game and encourage each other, it's just incredible”
“We have always followed our respective careers, respecting and admiring each other”details the “Djoker”. “Now I think the more time passes, the more we appreciate each other and the more we appreciate what we do professionally. In private too, it works between us. Like me, he is very attached to his family. He is very close to his family, his origins, his country, his city. And it is obviously very important to never forget where we come from. He has reached the pinnacle of one of the most important sports in the world and is one of the most recognized athletes in the world. It’s incredible that he comes from Serbia.”
In Los Angeles, the record holder for the greatest number of Grand Slam singles titles (24) was able to see Nikola Jokic dominate live, particularly in money time. In an exciting collective effort in his eyes.
” Amazing. It's amazing to see how he raised his game when it mattered most. And the whole team. We all know how good he is, we all know what he's capable of and we all know he can score 50 points every game. But he chooses not to because at the end of the day, it's a team effort. It's a team sport. And they all play together with great chemistry. The way they communicate on the field makes them a great team. And it's a family. I love this »concludes Novak Djokovic with stars in his eyes. “I come from an individual sport, so it’s different. For me, seeing this dynamic of relationships, of communication, the way they elevate each other's game and encourage each other, it's just incredible. In the final three minutes, they just accelerated to take a 10-point victory. It's simply impressive. It's impressive to see. This is why they are NBA champions. And I hope they win another ring.”
