NBA FINALS: HEAT VS. NUGGETS

May 27, 2023

Nikola Jokic

Denver Nuggets

Practice Day

Q. I know you're not satisfied with what you've accomplished thus far but have you allowed yourselves to enjoy the fact that you guys have already made history? And I know you had a big break, and so maybe you were allowed to celebrate and enjoy yourself a little bit?

NIKOLA JOKIC: No, to be honest, when we win, the win was nice, and like about half an hour after that, we were just, okay, it's a win. It was not -- to be honest it, was not some -- I thought it was going to be much bigger feeling to be honest.

And I didn't celebrate or whatever. I was just enjoying relaxing.

Q. Coach Malone always talks about how much you have changed over the last eight years. I want to flip that question on him. How much has he changed since your rookie year?

NIKOLA JOKIC: He give me the ball a little bit more basketball-wise. But like this, not much. I think he still have passion. He's still into it. Still -- you know, basketball-wise, he's giving me the ball more but like a person, I think he didn't change a lot.

Q. As somebody who knows Jamal so well, how impressive is what he's done this year been from what he's come back from injury-wise and is it cool to see him finally getting the national attention for as good as he has been when he's been healthy for you guys?

NIKOLA JOKIC: I mean, I think he deserve especially because he averaged a lot. He averaged 30 points, a great percentage [in the last series]. I think that's really hard to do, especially that high number of points.

But not just points. I think his energy, I would say even from the first round, his energy, he's been our best player since round one, and he's really stepping up and in that reaction, like being in. Even if he doesn't make shots, this, that, but his energy is always good. I think that's the best feeling for the guys around him. You know, yes, we know he can make shots, he can go for 50. But even when things doesn't go his way, he doesn't fall down. He is still playing. He's still fighting. I think that's the best thing about him right now.

I mean, to be honest, you cannot control what people are going to talk about you are not going to talk about you, so I'm not even going to comment of, you know, he deserve or not.

I think he deserve it, but who am I.

Q. Jamal yesterday was in here talking about kind of his rookie year and the early stages playing alongside you when you guys were both coming off the bench. Do you remember the early stages of playing with him, and do you remember any early signs of thinking that playing alongside him was special and that you guys had a really good chemistry?

NIKOLA JOKIC: My first couple of years, I had really good chemistry with Gary Harris, if you guys remember. We had a really nice two-man game that we have. Then kind of slow build-up to Jamal.

But he always had a fight in his eye. He always had that something that -- he was, I don't want to say chasing something, where he always has to be better, be more. He always wanted to be something bigger than he was in that moment. I think if I remember him -- if I have one thing that I remember him in my rookie year, it was that. He was always hungry for more.

Q. We talked about KCP bringing that championship pedigree to your team. In what ways has his big-game experience helped you navigate?

NIKOLA JOKIC: Yeah, he was there. He won a championship. But the best thing about KCP, he knows exactly where to be, and I think that's the best. He's doing that in first game, seventh game, playoff game, Finals game, whatever, pregame. He always do what he supposed to do, and I think that's the best [way] to describe him.

Q. How has it been to have your family along for this ride, and not just the last month or so, but the last seven years, your brother, your wife? Back home, what are they saying and how has that been for you?

NIKOLA JOKIC: It's not seven. It's basically my whole life, except wife, who is 10 years with me. But always my family, my mom and dad was always supporting, my dad especially. He always thought that I could be something more -- like Jamal; wanted to be something more.

Then when I go to the other city, and kind of my older brother took that role and kind of he lived with me, and then we came to the United States, and then my brother, Nemanja, who lives here before, seven years I think or nine years, it's like 15 years, we get together, and it's just a nice journey.

To be honest, when I was coming to United States, I was happy that I'm going to be with them. When you're a kid and you're small, when you were little, you always want to be around with the big brothers, and that was -- I was not going to say I was more happy. I was more happy to be around them than being in NBA.

Q. On that note, over the past year-plus, how have you grown and what have you learned from being a dad, and have you noticed any of those skills translating to being a better basketball player?

NIKOLA JOKIC: No. That cannot help you. But the thing that I knew that even before that the basketball is not main thing in my life, and probably never going to be.

And to be honest, I look at it because I have something more at home that is more important than basketball. I think that's maybe that I'm going to -- I learned this. I knew that but this kind of proved me that I'm correct.

Q. That helps you keep a level head throughout the season, not get to high, not get too low?

NIKOLA JOKIC: Yes, yes. Especially when you get bad days, good days. When you go home, it's always normal, and I think that's the best thing.

Q. You just mentioned, when you came to the States in 2015, were you coming as much for family and following your girlfriend as you were chasing the NBA dream, or what did you mean?

NIKOLA JOKIC: At that time, I didn't know. At that time, I never thought I'm going to be in NBA. But seemed like it was all connected and we all get together in USA, so it was a good thing for us. Maybe that was a sign that it's a good thing because my wife, at that time girlfriend, she was going in Oklahoma in college, and we were separate for six, seven, eight months, I don't remember.

But we were young and it was kind of nice period, nice to get together in that age, 20, 21. But I never thought I'm going to be in NBA. Maybe that was a good sign that my family -- that my family -- I didn't know that there was going to be my wife -- my girlfriend, I didn't know that's going to be my wife, get together and live from day one.

Q. To follow up on what you said earlier, when I asked you about the Western Conference Finals, you said it wasn't as big a celebration as you thought, is that because you have not achieved what your goal is? Why wasn't it as big as you thought it would be?

NIKOLA JOKIC: I don't know. That's a good question. You know, I thought we going to do some -- I thought I'm going to have in myself, I'm going to have a bigger -- I'm going to have bigger emotions, yes, we won the game and I was really happy, yes, yes, we made history, this, that. But at the end of the day, next year, nobody is going to remember us or two years from now.

So maybe if we win it all, maybe it's going to be different but we will see.

Q. Coach Malone said after the last game that if anybody told you you would be the player you've turned into, they would be lying to you. Felipe [Eichenberger], your strength coach told me at some point, you guys were riding in a car to the airport and he told you, you can be one of the best players in the league, you guys can win. When did that sink in for you? When did you realize that that was in front of you, and what did you have to do to go get it?

NIKOLA JOKIC: I mean, still isn't, but yeah, that's true. Felipe was the first guy who told me I was going to be an MVP. It was a car drive to the airport, I remember him, I was laughing. He is the guy who first mention to me in conversation or whatever.

But I never thought that I'm going to come here, but to be honest I'm playing the same way since my days in Sombor, I think, so I didn't change. Maybe I upgrade a little bit, but I didn't trade my style or play since day one, and it's working. So maybe the consistency is the key.

Q. So how will you watch the game tonight? Do you watch it as a team, by yourself, with family?

NIKOLA JOKIC: I didn't watch Game 5, so I don't know. I was walking with my daughter -- I'm lying. I watched the first quarter.

Today, I don't know what we're going to do but I think we're going to -- family, I think, maybe somebody is going to watch together, but I'm going to watch with family, or not.

Q. Yesterday Coach Malone said the thing he admired most about you is that you haven't changed a bit, and I just wonder how were you able -- even though everything changed around you, fame, fortune, adapting to a new country, how were you able to stay so grounded?

NIKOLA JOKIC: Maybe I'm not. Maybe that's just talk around me. I don't know, I think probably my family, my close friends, my family, you need to ask them. I think I didn't change because I still have the same friends, same family, same spot that I'm going, same things that I'm doing. But maybe you need to ask my friends and my family. But they are not going to answer you.

I mean, there is no answer, probably.