Nikola Jokić makes it back to Serbia in time for horse racing after NBA Finals celebrations
NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokić made it back to Serbia for Sunday horse racing.
The Denver Nuggets center arrived at the hippodrome in his northern Serbian hometown of Sombor to watch a harness race, according to the Associated Press.
This seemed to be the 28-year-old's primary concern, after scoring 28 points as the Nuggets won the NBA championship with a Game 5 victory over the Miami Heat.
"I don't know how I'm going to arrive. Thursday, late. Friday, maybe," he said. "I'm going to ask [Nuggets President] Josh [Kroenke] to give me a plane," he said after repeatedly mentioning getting home to his horses postgame.
It's unclear whether he got the Kroenke’s plane or managed the travel on his own, but he made the 6,000-mile journey somehow.
On the way to the hippodrome, Jokić would have seen a billboard reading "Welcome Home MVP" that showed two images of wearing No. 15 behind galloping horses.
Upon arriving, he was met with cheers from supporters wearing odes to the town's victor, according to the Associated Press. Some fans wore T-shirts with Jokic's portrait, while some of the gear read "Be the Next Champion" and "Sombor, the Town of Champions."
🏇 🃏 🏇 Na Gradski hipodrom u Somboru je stigao i NBA šampion Nikola Jokić! pic.twitter.com/mvrrC0gq9l
— Arena Sport TV (@arenasport_tv) June 18, 2023
The homecoming comes after Jokić, who was initially devastated to learn he was expected to stay in the U.S. for a parade, told fans he "wanted to stay on parade" at the festivities on Thursday.
He was even seen partying in Las Vegas on Friday night, apparently going so hard that Nuggets forward Bruce Brown blamed him for his hangover.
“I want everyone to know, this is Nikola Jokić's fault, that I'm down this bad. I don't know what he had me drinking last night, but I blame it on #15," Brown said on Instagram Live.
The partying was a heel turn after Jokić appeared less than pleased to pop champagne immediately after the victory. We can only hope it was the first iteration of the humble star embracing the spotlight after validating his status among NBA greats.
On Sunday, though, he avoided local media entirely. "He told me 'Dad, I have had enough of publicity during these past few days,'" his father Branislav Jokic said via the Associated Press. "And I believe him."
No matter how much Jokić acclimates to stardom, his love for horses isn't expected to change.
"I just enjoy being around them and seeing their different characteristics," he told The Athletic in 2020. "You get to see when they work out that they are basically like us. They are athletes, sprinters. They are magnificent creatures."
At the time, he had just purchased a race horse named Dream Catcher. He wore a polo embroidered with horse's name to the race Sunday.
During the Finals, ESPN's Malika Andrews asked if he was planning to buy another. "Probably, even if I lose," he said. If he hasn't already added to his stable, he likely will soon.
