The Joker is an interesting guy who has led a fascinating life.
Every NBA fan knows that Nikola Jokic is one of the top players of this generation, and probably of all time. He has three MVPs to his name and, while he has a play style that looks easy to defend on TV, no team has ever figured him out. Everyone knows Jokic was drafted during a Taco Bell commercial and has a fascination with horses. However, there’s so much more about Jokic that not a lot of people know about. Here are three surprising facts about him.
Nikola Jokic once got injured signing autographs
Even before he was a household name in the NBA, Jokic was a fan favorite in Serbia. He often found himself surrounded by fans and the Joker was never one to turn down a fan’s request.
However, during one long autograph session, Jokic’s generosity backfired. After signing presumably hundreds of autographs, Jokic experienced inflammation in his right hand. The injury was never serious, but it was enough to keep him sidelined in practice for an entire week.
The Joker almost skipped the NBA draft
It’s hard to imagine the NBA without Jokic, which is something Lakers fans wouldn’t mind happening 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 pool of candidates. He decided to play another season for Mega Vizura but reentered his name once 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 Jokic drank three liters of Coca-Cola every day
That’s not a typo. For all those who wonder why Jokic’s physique doesn’t look as impressive as LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo regardless of the fitness regimen he’s put himself through, it’s probably because of a habit he picked up as a kid. Jokic revealed that he’d drink at least three liters of Coca-Cola each day.
For context, that’s more than 300 grams of sugar every single day! However, when Jokic arrived in Denver, he quickly realized this sugary addiction had to stop if he wanted to stay healthy for an 82-game season.
True to his word, Jokic let his actions do all the talking. Over his first nine seasons, Jokic plays an average of 75 games a season. In fact, he’s only played under 70 games once which was in the 2022-2023 season when he played 69 games.