Nikola Jokic’s hometown of Sombor, Serbia celebrated as he won the NBA championship for the first time with the Denver Nuggets.
Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets would not be denied their first NBA championship. On Monday night, the Nuggets recovered from a deficit in the fourth quarter and fended off a late comeback attempt by Jimmy Butler to pick up the 94-89 victory. With that, they were able to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time in the franchise’s 47-year existence.
Credit can be given to Jokic for the team’s first title win. He went on an unreal run throughout the regular season and playoffs to help the team win the Western Conference championship for the first time, make it to the Finals for the first time, and win the whole thing for the first time. To top it all off. To top it all off, Jokic won the Bill Russell trophy for the MVP of the NBA Finals by receiving all 11 votes from a media panel. He is now the lowest-drafted player to win the award.
Perhaps no one was happier for Jokic than those in his hometown of Sombor, Serbia.
Nikola Jokic’s hometown of Sombor, Serbia celebrates the Nuggets NBA championship win
After playing basketball in Serbia, Jokic was selected with the 41st overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Nuggets. A second-round pick, Jokic would develop into a superstar not just for Denver, but in the entire NBA.
Jokic made his first All-Star Game in 2019 and was named to the big game the following four years as well. Jokic won his first NBA MVP in 2021 and did so yet again in 2022. The only thing that eluded him was an NBA championship, and now he can add that to his resume.
In Game 5, Jokic scored 28 points (12-for-16 from the field) and recorded 16 rebounds to secure a double-double. Throughout the Finals, Jokic averaged 30.2 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 7.2 assists.
The kid from Sombor, Serbia is now at the top of the NBA world with the Larry O’Brien trophy by his side.