Nikola Jokić was born in Sombor, Serbia on the 19th of February
1995. He lived in a small apartment with his parents, grandmother, and two older brothers.
Jokić developed a love of basketball early in his life playing with his two older brothers,
who were a decade older. Strahinja, the oldest brother, played basketball in Europe and Nemanja,
the second oldest, played college basketball at the University of Detroit Mercy. The brothers
are friends with former NBA player Darko Miličić. Thus, we can say that Nikola Jokic grew up in a
suitable environment to become a pro player. Jokić also loved horse racing as a child and competed
as an amateur, a passion he still holds today. He received interest from bigger clubs and during
the summer of 2012 where he signed with Mega Basket, a Serbian basketball League[BD1] . He
declared for the 2014 NBA Draft after playing two seasons and was selected 41st overall.
He played the 2015 season in Serbia and won the ABA League’s MVP.
Even though Jokić was drafted in 2014, he only signed a deal in 2015. He started off his career
in fine fashion as he made the NBA All-Rookie First Team [BD2] and finished 3rd in the Rookie of
the Year voting. His passing and playmaking at the center position made him an intriguing prospect.
He developed his game further, finishing second in the 2017 Most Improved Player voting. In 2018,
He nearly led the Nuggets to the playoffs for the first time since 2013 but narrowly
lost out to the Minnesota Timberwolves. During the 2020 season, alongside Jamal
Murray[BD3] , he led the team to their first conference finals since
Melo was[BD4] on the team in 2009. Much was expected from Nikola and his team
for the 2020-21 season. He upped his production from an All-NBA level to an MVP level. He would
average 26-11-8 for the season and picked up the MVP over Steph Curry and Joel Embiid.
His 7 foot size enables mismatches but has still has so much skill, IQ , and he can hit
that 3 baby. Things have been skyrocketing in Jokic’s career, including his [BD5] economy.
Nikola Jokic managed to accumulate a lot of money in the last few years. So,
the question is how did he accumulate his wealth? How does he spend it? Stay tuned and find out.
NBA Salary Before the 2018-2019 NBA Season,
Nikola Jokić signed a $148 million max [BD6] extension. He repaid the team’s faith in him
by earning his first NBA All-Star and All-NBA Team selections. Currently, Nikola Jokic earns
a career-high salary of $31.5 million annually. Next year he will be in the final year of that
deal that pays him a whopping $33 million[BD7] . Also, when Denver Nuggets center won the NBA’s
Most Valuable Player award last year, he became eligible for a $241 million supermax [BD8]
contract extension as soon as the 2022 offseason, a deal forecast
to become the largest in league history. Regarding Jokic’s potential supermax deal,
Raznatovic, who is Jokic’s agent, said, “According to our expectation,
it should be signed this summer, an extension with the maximum amount, which he obviously deserves.
Extending Nikola’s contract would mean staying in Denver through the 2028
season. The starting salary in 2023 would start at $43 million [BD9] and go up every year from there.
If no deal were reached, Jokic would become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2023.
As for now we just will have to wait to see if the Joker gets largest contract ever in the NBA.
Talk about a raise. If only, I could only get a crumb of that money[BD10] .
Endorsement Deals While the Joker earns a massive salary,
a major portion of his income comes from his brand deals. Due to his popularity, he will be
paid immensely for any endorsement deal he signs. Currently, Jokic's earnings through endorsements
is close to a million. This figure might rise significantly considering he is just
26-years old and his best years are yet to come. He has a shoe deal with Nike.
For some unknown reason, Jokic’s financials were not released, but you can guess that Nike does not
want to lose an MVP award-winning world star. Nike for sure shelled out the necessary funds for this.
Being endorsed by the brand is one of the best ways any player can grow their net worth,
and there’s no doubt he’s making good money. That will only go up when he eventually
gets his signature sneaker. That should come once his current contract runs out.
Nikola Jokic’s does not only endorse Nike. The Nuggets’s star
signed an endorsement deal with Panini America. Panini America is a trading card company. As fans
can see from the video, they will be releasing a plethora of different signed Nikola Jokic cards.
Panini America has its American headquarters in Texas.[BD11]
Signing with Panini gives them exclusive rights to his merchandise, which is quite
popular with both collectors and fans. Western Union is also among his endorsement
deals. However, we do not know the details of this agreement.
These are the main ways the Joker makes his MOOLA. Nikola Jokic’s has a current net worth of… wait,
we will get to that later. [BD12] Now that we know where Jokic gets his cheese from, let’s talk about
his lifestyle and how he spends his millions. Cars
The Serbian purchased a brand-new vehicle for himself, following a string of
excellent games that elevated him to the position a Denver Nuggets leader; he decided to purchase
a heck of a vehicle that was quite a treat for him. He grabbed the Jeep GMC Yukon[BD13] .
The Serbian now owns a 420-horsepower machine. It is large and spacious,
making it excellent for the Serbian center, who is 7 feet tall.
Apart from its size the engine generates a top speed of about 115 miles per hour.
The Jeep costed a modest $63,500. A lot lower than most other basketball players.
House Well, we don’t
have much information about Jokic’s house. But it is noted that he lives in a 3-Bedroom
apartment in Downtown Denver and overlooks Coors Field on a quiet side street[BD14] .
Since Jokic is married and has a child, it is obvious that he would prefer the
most spacious house for his family. It's not hard to imagine Nikola Jokic,
who grew up in only 2 rooms in a family of 6 people, certainly is living it up in style.
Horses As we stated in the beginning of
our video, Denver's star is in love with horses. Jokic owns his own racehorse, named Dream Catcher,
and he spoke to reporter Nick Kosmider about his obsession, in 2020:
“I just enjoy being around them and seeing their different characteristics.
You get to see when they work out that they are basically like us. They are athletes,
sprinters. They are magnificent creatures.” His head coach, Mike Malone, told ESPN that Jokic
spends his free time reading books about horses. Former teammate Gary Harris Jr. added that Jokic
gets a “calming feeling” whenever he talks about horses and you can just tell that he loves them.
Friends and Family Jokić was raised in a two-bedroom
apartment with his two older brothers, parents, and grandmother. As the youngest, Jokić was often
the victim of his siblings’ teasing—if that’s what you call throwing knives at someone’s head.
Nevertheless, when Jokić first arrived in Denver, his brothers Strahinja and Nemanja
became his constant companions—the latter helping his little brother stick to his diet,
the former threatening officials, all three sharing an apartment.
Jokić’s longtime girlfriend, Natalija Macesic, also lived with the brothers. Together since they
were 16 years old, Jokić and Natalija married in Sombor in October 2020, tying the knot with
family, friends, and a sick fog machine[BD15] . Natalija Maei is a Serbian psychologist. Natalija
is known for her extreme secrecy regarding her personal life and relationship with Nikola,
but being the wife of the league's MVP will always draw attention.
Indeed, her Instagram profile is secret. Every NBA success story begins with a strong
foundation that allows athletes to develop and focus on honing their skills and talents.
Nikola and Natalija are one example of this. This past October, the couple welcomed their
first child, a daughter called Ognjena, which means “fiery.”
Congratulations, Jokic family! As you probably noticed Nikola Jokic
isn’t the type of player to have a super flashy lifestyle with many luxurious possessions. We may
have to make another video about his lifestyle as he evolves. But without any going further,
let’s reveal Nikola Jokic’s net worth. Nikola Jokic has a net worth of 32 million dollars.
Rich for sure but he still has many prime years ahead to live it up Big Time Hoops Style.
Until next time, see you on the next one and peace out.