Over the weekend, images surfaced of Denver Nuggets power forward Aaron Gordon joining former MVP Nikola Jokic in Serbia. After recently winning the Larry O’Brien trophy together the pair are hoisting a new trophy. Gordon joined Jokic to watch Jokic’s horses take home prizes on the racetrack over the weekend.
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
At the track, Jokic had three horses take home prizes. “Brenno Laumar” took home the gold while, “Amersterdam JMH” and “Aragorn” both took home silver medals.
https://twitter.com/HarrisonWind/status/1690885711950667776?s=20
It is apparent Jokic takes horse racing seriously and even was able to get a teammate to come out and enjoy the festivities. As we know, Jokic famously looked rattled after the NBA Finals when the reporter told him the parade would be a couple of days later than he anticipated. In a very wholesome moment, Jokic claimed he needed to get back to Serbia to watch his horses.
Jokic was asked if he was looking forward to a championship parade 😭
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) June 13, 2023
“No. I need to go home.” pic.twitter.com/AyrDFZvvxx
Later, after living it up at the parade, Jokic confirmed to all in attendance he loved the festivities. Using some expletives I won’t say here, but here is the link to see for yourself.
Around the league, the Serbian big man is applauded for his unique and practically unguardable play style. In a recent interview on the Full Send Podcast, Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves had high praise for Jokic. Reaves talked about how difficult of a cover the Nuggets’ big man is and how Jokic can find a way to beat it regardless.
Last season Jokic averaged 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game while shooting 63.2% from the field and 38.3% from beyond the arc. Despite these incredible numbers, he fell short in the race for another MVP trophy to Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid. Ultimately, Jokic won the real prize, as he was able to add a Larry O’Brien trophy to the mantle instead.
The Nuggets led by Jokic, Gordon, and Jamal Murray, will be looking to repeat this year. Some consider the Nuggets trio to be amongst the best in the league going into the 2023-2024 NBA season. The reigning champs will open the season with their Western Conference Finals foe the Lakers while they receive their championship rings pregame.
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