Advertisement

A wobbly Nikola Jokic delightfully received his Olympic bronze alongside his Serbian teammates

Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

With a population of roughly 6.6 million, the country of Serbia winning any one Olympic medal is a massive achievement in itself. And the most celebrated Serbian medal from the Paris Olympics just might be three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Co. capturing the bronze for men's basketball.

After beating Germany in a game where Nikola Jokic dropped the fifth triple-double in men’s Olympic history and became the first player ever to lead the entire Olympic field in points, rebounds, and assists, they knew how they had to celebrate.

In fact, because they had an early morning game against the Germans, the Serbians had a lot of time to kill. So, after receiving just the eighth men's basketball medal in the nation's history on Saturday, Jokic and friends ventured to really maximize their time for the rest of the day.

But even after all the fun they had together, and after Team USA dispatched France, Serbia had to return to get its bronze medals from the International Olympic Committee ... while being filmed on international television.

It’s almost like they accounted for this.

Throughout the ceremony, it was clear that a wobbly Nikola Jokic was still living it up after winning a medal with his countrymen:

Aug 10, 2024; Paris, France; Serbia power forward Nikola Jokic (15) celebrates on the podium with teammates after winning the bronze medal in men's basketball during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 10, 2024; Paris, France; Serbia power forward Nikola Jokic (15) celebrates on the podium with teammates after winning the bronze medal in men's basketball during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Every piece of it seemed to be positively delightful for Jokic and the Serbians:

PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 10: Bronze medalist Nikola Jokic of Team Serbia bites his medal while posing for a photo on the podium during the Men's basketball medal ceremony on day fifteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on August 10, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 776138674 ORIG FILE ID: 2166240027
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 10: Bronze medalist Nikola Jokic of Team Serbia bites his medal while posing for a photo on the podium during the Men's basketball medal ceremony on day fifteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on August 10, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 776138674 ORIG FILE ID: 2166240027

Check out this moment with Basketball Hall of Famer and two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol:

PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 10: Bronze medalist Nikola Jokic of Team Serbia hugs former NBA player Pau Gasol on the podium during the Men's basketball medal ceremony on day fifteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on August 10, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 776138674 ORIG FILE ID: 2166242014
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 10: Bronze medalist Nikola Jokic of Team Serbia hugs former NBA player Pau Gasol on the podium during the Men's basketball medal ceremony on day fifteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on August 10, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 776138674 ORIG FILE ID: 2166242014

Never doubt that the Serbians know how to live in the moment and revel in something they accomplished. As ever, after achieving glory on an international stage, they were led even here by their leader, Jokic — the man who, once again, proved he was the best player in the world during this Olympic tournament.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: A wobbly Nikola Jokic delightfully received his Olympic bronze alongside his Serbian teammates