Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic became a household name this spring, as he led the team to their first-ever NBA championship. His unselfish, unique play style caught the eyes of many, and it’s something that his former teammate, Gary Harris, says has been there the whole time.
Harris discussed the reigning NBA Finals MVP, during a recent appearance on Jeff Teague’s Club 520 podcast.
“Once you give him attention, he don’t even want all that attention,” Harris said. “He didn’t really wanna win that MVP this year. Once they started talking about all the other stuff – the different narratives – he was just like, I’m cool, I’m straight. They went on a little five-game losing streak — they put Embiid first and then I feel like that took a lot of pressure off of them as a team, in general. But, just playing with him he’s so selfless — I mean everyone can see it on a bigger stage. But that’s literally been him the whole time.”
Gary "Gary Harris" Harris and Jeff Teague discuss Nikola Jokic.
— n i k o l a e s t h e t i c (@nikolaesthetic) August 14, 2023
"He didn't really wanna win that MVP this year. Once they started talking about all the other stuff - the different narratives - he was just like, I'm cool, I'm straight." pic.twitter.com/q8V0Cx2E3y
Harris and Jokic spent four-and-a-half seasons together as teammates in Denver. Their teams had some decent success, as they made the postseason in Harris’ final two seasons with the Nuggets. They even fought their way to the Western Conference Finals in 2020, overcoming a pair of 3-1 deficits in the bubble.
The former Michigan State star was eventually traded away to the Orlando Magic at the 2021 NBA Trade Deadline. In return, the Nuggets received Aaron Gordon, who became a key piece of their championship run.
Denver Nuggets stars Nikola Jokic & Aaron Gordon enjoy horse races in Serbia
Gordon recently joined the multi-time MVP for some fun. Over the weekend, the former Slam Dunk Contest champion headed overseas to visit Jokic in his home country of Serbia.
While the pair of NBA champs hung out, they attended a race to watch some of the big man’s horses compete.
Much like the man himself, the horses were winners. Jokic had three horses take home prizes. “Brenno Laumar” took home the gold, while “Amersterdam JMH” and “Aragorn” both took home silver medals.
A photo made its rounds online of Jokic and Gordon hoisting a horse racing trophy as if it was another NBA title.
Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon hoisting a Serbian horse racing trophy together like it’s the Larry O’Brien trophy 🏆
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 13, 2023
(via @LjubomirovicM) https://t.co/jZS2Uo8dKR pic.twitter.com/ZP0KeW4wOx
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