Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets remains the penultimate pick in the NBA All Star Game Draft at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah on Sunday February 19, 2023. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post )
SALT LAKE CITY — NBA champion and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo knows better than to be fooled by Nikola Jokic.
Seeing past his goofy exterior and unique dominance, he is aware that Joker is currently traversing the same mountain that The Freak has already conquered. In other words, he knows something the rest of us don’t.
“He’s just concentrating on his game,” said Antetokounmpo. “I love that. He doesn’t care about social media… He’s just fixated on being just great on the basketball court. That’s what I’m all about. Can you call that an obsession? Sure. Sometimes people who are obsessed can pick up the killers the basketball court, recognize that in other people.”
When asked specifically whether he called Jokic a murderer, Antetokounmpo nodded.
“He’s one of those guys who’s having a great season and he’s all about basketball,” Antetokounmpo said. “He takes care of business. He’s only interested in basketball. The same thing happened to me. That’s what I love about people like that.”
If Antetokounmpo sees it, why shouldn’t the rest of us?
Don’t be stunned by the way he saunters around the All-Star practice court, throws aimless half-court shots, or his awed responses when forced to sit for 30 minutes and attend to his media obligations.
Don’t be fooled if his stated goal for Sunday night’s All-Star game was not to go scoreless or by the fact that Jokic was among the last two starters selected during the All-Star draft became.
“As long as I have two points…” Jokic said only half-jokingly.
When he finally scored midway through the second quarter with an easy putback layup, he pumped his fist on his bench to celebrate the bucket. It was a decent present for his 28th birthday.
When he’s fiddling with an All-Star mic and revisiting postseason rivalries from years past, you understand he knows exactly what he’s doing. At All-Star Weekend, he doesn’t typically show his best performances on the court, but in front of the cameras, where he’s said to be uncomfortable.
Don’t be confused if he claims to care for another MVP award before revealing he only answered yes because the previous seven times he’s been asked the question he said he wasn’t indifferent .
Jokic isn’t your typical all-star. In Sunday’s exhibition, he set up screens, deflected passes, boxed and ran pick-and-roll. When the Denver coaching staff discuss the exhibition film, Jokic can be proud of the highlights he has captured on tape.
Though he’s learned to enjoy weekend commitments, Jokic was dead serious in identifying his least favorite part as a professional athlete.
“Media,” he said.
Not because he doesn’t understand the practice or even the curiosity of fans in his game, but because there is very little untapped territory at Jokic. The two-time MVP joked that he got bored with his answers because he was so often asked to offer his insights.
When a reporter asked Jokic if it was fair to include the concept of celebrity in Jokic’s least favorite aspects as a professional, he praised the question.
“Media and celebrities out, everything else is fine,” he said, as if whole sentences were beneath his dignity.
Among the more unusual questions Jokic was asked ahead of Sunday’s All-Star game was whether he would prefer to give up his phone, laptop or video game console.
“My goal is to (not) use my phone when I retire from my career,” he said in a revealing moment, before offering another, less surprising, anecdote. “I only need YouTube to watch horse racing.”
Don’t be fooled by his cutesy answers, or his theatrics, or his apparent indifference, or his humility. Jokic is a basketball savage. Just ask Antetokounmpo.
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