FIBA World Cup 2023: Will NBA champion Nikola Jokic play for the Serbian team?
A few days ago, the young star who played an important role in the Denver Nuggets' NBA championship campaign - Jamal Murray - confirmed to compete in the 2023 FIBA World Cup finals.
What about NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic? Many fans are waiting for the moment to witness with their own eyes the 2m11 tall striker weighing 129kg playing for the Serbian national team.
The performance of "The Joker" at the Regular Season and then the Playoffs along with the NBA Finals made the fans even more excited, but unfortunately this wish of them will not come true.
Instead of continuing to play in the FIBA World Cup like teammate Jamal Murray, the 1995-born striker decided to take some time off from the long NBA season, where he joined the Denver Nuggets in the final and won the trophy. The first opponent in the club's history.
Having won 2 MVP titles, a Finals MVP and just won the NBA championship ring, Nikola Jokic is one of the top NBA strikers at the moment.
Last season, he averaged 24.5 points with 11.6 rebounds and 9.8 assists, a set of stats close to a triple-double. By the Playoffs stage, Jokic's stats increased and was attached to 10 triple-doubles, setting a tournament record.
As for the final series against the Miami Heat, "The Joker" scored more than 30 points and 13.5 rebounds per game, bringing Denver to the final victory with a total score of 4-1.
The more impressive the statistics will make the FIBA World Cup 2023 audience even more regretful when they can't see Jokic play with his own eyes, "exercise magic" with his class skill set.
This is a rare time that Jokic refuses to play for the national team when given the opportunity. He has played for the Serbian basketball team many times since arriving in the NBA, including the last 2 FIBA World Cup finals (in 2014 and 2019).
The strength of the Serbian team will be significantly reduced without Nikola Jokic. Understanding this, some teammates still sympathize with bigman who just won the NBA.
"I know a lot of people will be disappointed, but I sympathize with him. With Nikola Jokic, the responsibility of playing for the national team is never taken lightly.
He has led us through many campaigns, especially the FIBA World Cup 2019 and the most recent EuroBasket (in 2022 - PV). Win or lose, Nikola is always a great leader and fights hard for the colors of the flag," said PF/C Marko Simonovic of the Serbian team.
"When you are one of the best players in the world, you are taken care of by all the opponents. Sometimes Nikola is tutored by 2-3 people, continuously for the whole game.
If he has to play 100 games a season, it's as if he's going to be hit 100 times. He is still a human being, not a machine, and must also be tired and in need of rest. I respect that decision," Simonovic added of Jokic's decision not to play the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
In the past time, a number of teams such as the US, Canada, the Philippines, and Greece have announced focus lists to prepare for the "Basketball World Cup".
The final round of the FIBA World Cup 2023 will kick off on August 25 in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. The top seven teams will qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
