Top 85 Quotes & Sayings by Nikola Jokic

Explore popular quotes and sayings by a Serbian athlete Nikola Jokic.
Last updated on November 8, 2024.
Nikola Jokic

Nikola Jokić is a Serbian professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays the center position. A four-time NBA All-Star, he has been named to the All-NBA Team on four occasions, and won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons. He represents the Serbian national team.

When you first come to practice, you learn the guys. You're going to play with them for the next couple seasons. You just need to know what shots they like, how they run, how good a lead they are. You need to know your personnel.
I lead the league in scratches. I'm always bleeding - I'm used to it.
As long as I can take open shots or good shots, I'm going to take it. — © Nikola Jokic
As long as I can take open shots or good shots, I'm going to take it.
Pressure is just bad things for you.
I'm just trying to win the games.
I believe the only muscles you need in basketball are the ones in your brain.
That's crazy when a guy scores 27 and it's bad.
I think the coach, the owner, the GM, the players want to win the game. That's the bottom line.
When you think about Kobe it's, 'No excuse. Nothing can put your mind off what you love to do.' It's the Mamba mentality, for sure.
Of course, we're going to talk trash or whatever. Both teams just want to win the game.
When I was young, basketball wasn't my No. 1 priority.
Every different horse has a different personality, like a human.
I just want to play hard and do the things coach asks me to do. — © Nikola Jokic
I just want to play hard and do the things coach asks me to do.
The paint is something we need to defend.
The rookie game, those guys are going to be All-Stars one day.
My teams in Serbia always had really good point guards. But I have always loved to dribble the ball. Even when I was outside, just walking by myself, I would always love to dribble and imagine my defender there in front of me - what I would try to do.
As center you can push the ball. If you're a big man and you can push the ball, or you can run fast, you can make a difference in the game.
We cannot make our sole goal the eighth spot, the eighth seed.
I don't think I'm that funny.
It's really cool. I don't know how many people in the world have a silver medal. Maybe a thousand?
I watched Magic because of his passing, and Hakeem because of his post moves.
I'm trying to be the best I can be in what I do.
I'm just playing basketball, the same way I have always played, from juniors and even back to middle school, I'm just doing it the same way. Nothing different. Just a team game, playing and having fun and trying to play the right way.
I mean, if I could score 40 every game, then I would score 40 every game. But I think I cannot score 40 every game, so I'm gonna pass a little bit, too.
You need to be a fan of your own team.
Kobe is probably an idol for so many players. He was such a great player so you wanted to be like Kobe. He's a legend that never dies.
I just play the game. If that means I need to joke around, or whatever I need to do, that's what I'll do.
To be honest, I don't really care if I'm starting or coming off the bench.
Basketball is an emotional game.
I'm kind of normal guy.
I loved playing every sport. Soccer, water polo, horses. Whatever. I just loved it - especially competing against my brothers.
I enjoy animals. Their nature.
When I was younger I always liked to pass.
I met Kobe during my first year, before a game.
Someone said, 'He's not even in shape.' I am playing in 80 games and he said that I'm not even in shape.
I don't usually talk much.
For me, every game is a pickup game in front of my house.
I know my teammates better than opponents know them. If I can see my teammate in one moment, I know where he'll be in the next moment. I don't need to see him again. — © Nikola Jokic
I know my teammates better than opponents know them. If I can see my teammate in one moment, I know where he'll be in the next moment. I don't need to see him again.
I don't want to say something just to be a leader.
There must be one guy open and I want to find him.
Passing is kind of in my game all my life.
If you don't try something, you never know.
You can see that just with the passing, you can destroy the defense.
A point makes you happy; an assist makes you and your teammate happy. An assist makes two people happy.
Oh man, I am so happy when I get to dribble the ball.
In high school, I couldn't do one pushup.
This is not the job. We are just playing the game here. I am enjoying the game. I am playing every game as a game of pickup basketball in my hometown.
When I get the rebound - push the ball. That couple of seconds when you're trying to find the point guard, you're losing in transition. You rebound, push the ball and the whole game is faster.
Maybe in the huddles I say something more. But I say it... not to become a leader, it's just to help my team out. — © Nikola Jokic
Maybe in the huddles I say something more. But I say it... not to become a leader, it's just to help my team out.
We cannot think about playoffs. We just need to play the games.
When I am aggressive, I think that is going to help my teammates.
There's no point in playing with pressure.
My dad is not really a relaxed guy. He's nervous. He wants to do everything. But I am completely opposite to him. I am calm.
I like horse racing but I'm not an All-Star in horse racing. I'm an All-Star fan in horse racing.
If I get stronger it's going to be easier for me to play.
Maybe water polo and volleyball really help me on the court. Water polo with my one-handed passes, volleyball too, maybe when I tap passes.
You need to go with that mentality and play the game. No pressure. Yes, you need to do something. But it's just a game.
My 3-point percentage is low, but I think I just need to work on that.
This is the league of the stats, the numbers.
When everybody is sharing the ball, everybody makes everybody happy.
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