Nikola Jokic will play for Serbia this summer in a stacked tournament
Jun 15, 2022, 11:46 AM | Updated: 11:48 am
Sick of waiting to watch the back-to-back MVP hoop on the hardwood? You won’t have to wait until the next NBA season; Nikola Jokic will ball for Serbia this summer, the country’s basketball federation announced early Wednesday morning.
Jokic didn’t play for Serbia in the Olympics last summer, which his country did not like. He subsequently canceled a celebration for his first MVP due to the backlash. But now, after his second MVP, he’ll lace them up for Serbia.
Jokic last played for the Serbia national team in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, with the team finishing fifth. He averaged 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. But his numbers were suppressed since he was coming off the bench.
NIKOLA JOKIC IS BACK! 🚨
The back-to-back NBA MVP is set to play for Serbia this summer 🇷🇸👀#FIBAWC | #EuroBasket | #WinForSerbia x @KSSrbije pic.twitter.com/ovuOXKRt8W
— FIBA Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWC) June 15, 2022
The Jokic-less team failed to qualify for the Olympics in Tokyo. Meanwhile, Jokic’s Balkan brother Luka Dončić impressed, leading Slovenia to a fourth-place finish, upset by Australia in a thrilling Bronze Medal game.
Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo will also play against Jokic in this summer’s European Championship, known as EuroBasket.
EuroBasket 2022 will be stacked with NBA superstars: Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo are all set to participate 🔥 pic.twitter.com/snS3Aczl47
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) June 15, 2022
NBA rules limit how much time players can spend with their country’s team, so Jokic, Dončić and. Antetokounmpo will not play in the first window of games. Instead, the NBA stars are expected to join their country’s teams in late August and for the 2022 EuroBasket in early September.
The 27-year-old Nuggets star is expected to sign a super-max contract extension this summer. He has already been in Serbia for some time.
