Legendary Serbian coach shares big news about Nikola Jokic

After already conquering the Nationwide Basketball Affiliation, Nikola Jokic is now apparently setting his sights on the Olympic Video games.

Legendary Serbian basketball coach Bozidar Maljkovic spoke with Juan Jimenez of European outlet AS.com this week and talked about Serbia’s second-place end at this yr’s FIBA World Cup. Maljkovic, who’s the president of the Olympic Committee of Serbia, revealed that the Denver Nuggets star Jokic will swimsuit up for Serbia on the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

“We didn’t have NBA MVP, Nikola Jokic [at the FIBA World Cup],” stated Maljkovic, per BasketNews. “Neither Vasilije Micic, MVP of the EuroLeague. Nor Nikola Kalinic. I believe we come collectively and get the most effective out of us, as in all sports activities … In Paris, they are going to be all [be there], Jokic included. The Paris Video games shall be a celebration, and I’m assured that Serbian sport can have a big participation.”

A return to the nationwide group by the reigning NBA Finals MVP is a reasonably large deal. He featured on Serbia’s silver-medal-winning group on the 2016 Olympics in Rio after his second NBA season however has taken a number of hiatuses from the nationwide group since then (actually because the Nuggets play so deep into the season). Jokic performed for Serbia on the 2019 FIBA World Cup and at EuroBasket 2022 however skipped out on this yr’s FIBA World Cup after main Denver to the NBA championship.

Serbia already boasts a number of different present and former NBA gamers like Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nikola Jovic and Marko Guduric. The reintegration of Jokic on high of that’s large information, particularly with Jokic’s biggest NBA rival making a big Olympic move as well.