Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic responded perfectly when a reporter asked him Saturday if becoming a father somehow “helped” his game.
A reporter asked a somewhat ridiculous question, wondering, “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?”
Jokic gave a deadpan. “Nah,” in reply, “That cannot help you.” The flippant reply prompted laughter from the assembled reporters in the room.
But what he followed that up with was a great testament to his dedication to family life, his wife, and young daughter.
“Nah, this cannot help you.”
Jokic with a straightforward answer to whether becoming a father comes with skills that translate to basketball 😅#NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV ⤵
📅 Game 1: Thursday, 6/1, 8:30pm/et on ABC pic.twitter.com/2AwLQ9Ed1s— NBA (@NBA) May 27, 2023
“I knew that even before that is basketball is not the main thing in my life,” Jokic explained. “And probably never going to be. Because, I like it, because I have something more at home that is more important than basketball.”
The 28-year-old, Serbian-born player added, “I knew that, but this is going to prove me that I’m correct.”
What a refreshing sound clip. One does not see many pro athletes noting that there are far more important things than ball hitting, bouncing, jumping, putting, and throwing these days.
Jokic is still a relatively new father, with his firstborn child, a daughter, having been born in Sept. of 2021.
Little Ognjena won the NBA’s heart during Game 2 of the NBA playoffs in May when cameras caught her pointing to her finger, a motion that Jokic reciprocated on the court, in an allusion to a championship ring Nikola hoped soon to be wearing.
Nikola Jokic and his daughter shared a moment after Game 2, pointing to their ring finger ❤️ 💍 pic.twitter.com/XQWJrDHtuV
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 2, 2023
The Nuggets are still in the hint for that championship ring after dousing the L.A. Lakers’ hopes last week. The Nuggets now head to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
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