Before he started his career with the Denver Nuggets, Nikola Jokic was already a budding young superstar in the Adriatic Basketball League. In fact, the season before he arrived in Denver, Jokic secured the ABA League's MVP Award. As Nuggets fans know, that wouldn't be the Serbian superstar's last MVP award. Now, the ABA League just gave Jokic another first. He was named the best player in the league's 25-year history and presented with the league's first-ever ICON Award.
From following the #ABALiga as a kid, to playing in it, to becoming an ABA LEAGUE ICON. 👑
— AdmiralBet ABA League (@ABA_League) September 4, 2026
🗣️ Nikola Jokić sent a special video message for the occasion, sharing what the League and this recognition mean to him. pic.twitter.com/XVBwtSGWwp
Jokic's start in the ABA League led to his stardom
Jokic had to start somewhere, and the ABA League was his first stepping stone. The Nuggets actually drafted Jokic with the 41st pick of the second round of the 2014 NBA draft, the season prior to his winning the ABA League MVP award. They got in early (and Nuggets fans are grateful for that).
Jokic was also named the league's top prospect in his final season overseas while playing for Mega Basket in Serbia in 2014-15, with averages of 15.4 points, a league-leading 9.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. And he was already flashing monster stat lines that we have become accustomed to on a nightly basis, including a game of 27 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 assists against MZT Skopje.
Now, Jokic has another piece of hardware he can add to his mantle, and he says this one means a lot.
"I'm grateful for this award, since I grew up playing in this league," Jokic said in the video. "But I think this kind of award would be more significant when I'm finished with my career, and when I look back. It's a great award, for sure."
The Nuggets drafted a true ICON
Jokic's ascension with the Nuggets has been historic. He's secured three MVP awards and six first- or second-place finishes in the voting over the last six years, a feat only equaled by two Boston Celtics legends: Bill Russell and Larry Bird. And Joker just keeps getting better and better, having had arguably his best season in 2025-26, averaging a triple-double of 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists, becoming the first player in NBA history to lead the league in both rebounds and assists in the same season.
Jokic's accolades list is long, but beyond the MVPs are significant awards including an NBA Finals MVP, the Nuggets' first-ever NBA Championship, and six All-NBA First Team honors. And now he can add the ICON Award from the ABA League to his mantle of trophies.
Jokic has truly been an icon wherever he has played, and Nuggets fans hope he can add another MVP and championship to his resume before he's done in Denver.
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