Nikola Jokić
Nikola Jokić is the most dominant big man in modern NBA history, a three-time MVP who broke the mold of what a center can be.
Nikola Jokić is a Serbian professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets, widely regarded as the best player in the NBA and arguably the greatest passing center the sport has ever seen. Born on February 19, 1995, in Sombor, Serbia, he was famously drafted 41st overall in 2014, a pick announced while ESPN was running a Taco Bell ad, and has since made that selection look like the single greatest steal in draft history.
What sets Jokić apart isn’t just his scoring; it’s his gravity-defying combination of passing, rebounding, and scoring from the center position. He sees the floor like a point guard, shoots like a forward, and scores through the post like a traditional big, a combination no one in NBA history has produced at his level. He won his first NBA championship with Denver in 2023, cementing his all-time legacy.
The basketball world searches for Jokić constantly because he is actively rewriting record books. He is the all-time leader in triple-doubles among centers, has won three MVP awards (2021, 2022, 2024), and was named Finals MVP in 2023. Every season brings new milestones, which keeps him in the headlines year-round.
Off the court, Jokić is known for being refreshingly un-superstar: he is deeply private, famously passionate about horse racing back in Serbia, and has consistently dodged the celebrity spotlight. That low-key authenticity only adds to the public’s fascination with him.