3 facts you never knew about the Nuggets superstar

Every NBA fan knows that Nikola Jokic is one of the best players of this generation, and probably of all time. He has three MVPs and, while he has a style of play that looks easy to defend on TV, no team has ever figured it out. Everyone knows Jokic was drafted during a Taco Bell commercial and has a fascination with horses. However, there is much more about Jokic that few people know about. Here are three surprising facts about him.

Nikola Jokić once injured himself signing autographs

Even before he became popular in the NBA, Jokić was a fan favorite in Serbia. He often found himself surrounded by fans, and the Joker never refused a fan request.

However, during one long autograph session, Jokic’s generosity backfired. After signing probably hundreds of autographs, Jokic developed inflammation in his right hand. The injury was never serious, but it was enough to keep him out of training for an entire week.

Joker almost skipped the NBA draft

It’s hard to imagine an NBA without Jokic, which is something Lakers fans wouldn’t mind seeing happen after their last two playoff appearances.

In the last few weeks leading up to the 2014 NBA Draft, Jokic actually withdrew his name from the group of candidates. He decided to play one more season for Mega Vizura, but came back into his own when the Denver Nuggets promised to use their second-round pick to take him.

It goes without saying that what seemed like a harmless pick for the Nuggets at the time turned out to be one of the biggest draft steals in NBA history.

Nikola Jokić drank three liters of Coca-Cola every day

That’s not a typo. For all those wondering why Jokic’s physique doesn’t look as impressive as LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo, regardless of the conditioning regimen he’s put himself through, it’s probably because of a habit he picked up as a kid. Jokic revealed that he would drink at least three liters of coke every day.

For context, that’s more than 300 grams of sugar every day! However, when Jokic arrived in Denver, he quickly realized that this sugar addiction had to end if he wanted to stay healthy through an 82-game season.

Truth be told, Jokic let his actions speak for themselves. In the first nine seasons, Jokić played an average of 75 games per season. In fact, he only played fewer than 70 games once, which was in the 2022-2023 season when he played 69 games.

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