Nikola Jokic continues to enjoy offseason, engages in extreme water sports trip

The offseason started a lot sooner than the Nuggets and their fans would have hoped, but that doesn’t mean the players can’t enjoy the time off and Nikola Jokic is certainly no exception. Days after the Nuggets were eliminated from the playoffs by the Timberwolves in the Western Conference Semifinals, Jokic was spotted at a major horse racing event in Sweden with some of the horses he owns.

And well I’m sure Jokic wishes he was still playing and preparing for the NBA Finals, he seems to have gotten an early jump on his typical summer plans. On Saturday, pictures surfaced of Jokic and a small group ready to embark on what has become an annual rafting trip to Tara in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It’s always nice to get glimpses into Jokic’s life outside of basketball and the United States. He appears to be in his comfort zone when he’s back near his home in Eastern Europe amongst friends and family. Much ado has been made about his relative seeming disinterest towards basketball on the surface.

Jokic narratives are bogus

But in reality, it is well documented how hard Jokic works and everything he does to master his craft in ways that have allowed him to become the best basketball player alive. It’s not a coincidence that he has won three NBA MVP awards and is still the reigning Finals MVP. 

He works as hard as anyone and the narrative that he doesn’t care about basketball has gotten completely absurd and outrageous. Frankly it’s unfair to Jokic and to his teammates. It’s actually healthy to see that he has interests and hobbies outside of basketball. This is not uncommon at all for professional athletes, but it seems like there is a different microscope on Jokic because his hobbies may not align with those of traditional American NBA stars.

If anything, Nuggets fans should be happy to see Jokic enjoying his well deserved time off. This is more time off than he has had in several years and it should be a good opportunity for him to recharge his battery and hopefully return fresher than ever next season to try and lead the Nuggets back to the promised land.