Over the years, a comical narrative has developed about Nikola Jokic, suggesting he doesn’t care about basketball, just viewing it as a job, and that his true passions are other things, like horses. It was always silly, and it has been easy to tell from watching him from afar how hard he works and how much he puts into the game.
It’s not something that should have to be dispelled, but there have been enough jokes going around for long enough that people still run with it, and some even believe it. Jokic isn’t exactly one to open up, nor does he seem to care what anyone thinks about him, so it’s nice to hear others speak on his behalf.
That’s what happened in a recent interview for BasketNews, with former Nuggets legend, and Jokic teammate, Kenneth Faried, the Manimal. The 36-year-old current Panathinaikos B.C. (yes, that’s the same Greek club that almost lured Jonas Valanciunas away from the NBA) player recounted some NBA memories, including some Jokic stories that shed light on how hard he worked, even at a young age.
"I knew he was going to become special because of the work he was putting in. All the things you don't notice, all the things you don't see. The little details. He really cares about the game, even if people think he's only thinking about his horses. No, for real, he works, and he works because he cares about basketball.”
Jokic doesn’t get enough credit for work ethic
The narratives around Jokic are mostly in good fun, but still, it’s a bit ridiculous how little credit he gets for his hard work and passion. It’s not a coincidence that he has become this incredible at the sport, despite some athletic limitations.
How strong he has become, how durable he is, his threshold for pain and physicality, and his endurance are all testaments to his work. Obviously, he has incredible natural gifts that have allowed him to transcend the sport, but it’s what he has done with those gifts that makes him special.
If anything, Jokic likely cares about the game and about winning as much as any player in the league. His competitive nature takes over when he’s on the court, and while he may not always be as demonstrative or emotive as others, it’s apparent just from watching, how much he pours into every single game.
Many have joked that Jokic cares so little about basketball that he may walk off into the sunset any day, retire back to Serbia with his family and horses, and never be heard from again. In reality, that’s probably a far cry from how things will go down.
If we’re lucky, we’ll likely see Jokic work so hard on his game and body that he’ll be able to play deep into his 30s, reinventing himself in ways to stay elite. He will keep playing until he feels that he can no longer compete and win at the highest level, and he’ll probably rewrite the NBA record books along the way.