Nikola Jokic is considered one of the best basketball players of his generation. The Denver Nuggets center has changed the meaning of being a big man in the NBA, securing three MVPs and bringing a franchise to its long-awaited NBA title in 2023. But behind any big player there must be a family that made him – and to know Nikola Jokic parents, Branislav and Nikolina, is to know the man. Jokic is a humble, hard-working, and loving husband and father whose success is attributed by many to the principles he was taught as a child in Sombor, Serbia.
Nikola was born on 19 February 1995 in a small, quiet town in the north of Serbia the two-bedroom apartment in Sombor. He had three brothers, Strahinja and Nemanja, who were older than him. Despite the humble surroundings, the Jokić household was always full of warmth, noise, and a love for sport. His brothers both played basketball, and it was in watching them that Nikola first fell in love with the game. Even before he could walk, his mother, Nikolina, reportedly saw his interest in basketball clinging to his pacifier and watching his brothers practice basketball hours and hours.
He is a world figure today, yet he has not lost touch with those values Nikola Jokić parents instilled in him. He still returns to Sombor every off-season, rides horses, and keeps family at the center of his life. His story is inseparable from theirs, and Nikola Jokić parents deserve credit not just for raising a basketball champion, but for raising a genuinely good human being.
Who Are Nikola Jokić Parents?
Nikola Jokić parents are Branislav Jokić and Nikolina Jokić. Nikola grew up in a close-knit family together with his two older brothers in Sombor, Serbia, where family, sport and hard work were taught to him daily.
Branislav Jokić – Father
Branislav Jokić is an agricultural engineer and the owner of a horse stable in Sombor. Nikola was also immensely impressed by his love of horses and once told his father that he wanted to be a horseman and not a basketball player. Branislav’s response was both wise and warm: “Son, become a basketball player first, and you’ll become a great horseman later.” He named his stable after Nikola’s first horse, Dreamcatcher, and keeps a photo of Nikola being pulled by horses in his office. Branislav is also famously one of Nikola’s loudest supporters.
According to brother Nemanja, their father screams and yells so passionately during games that no one wants to sit near him. Despite desperately wanting to attend the 2023 NBA Finals, Branislav and Nikolina stayed home in Sombor to look after the horses – watching their son win a championship from thousands of miles away.
Nikolina Jokić – Mother
Nikolina Jokić is the warm heart of the family. It is she who first observed the early interest of basketball that Nikola had, as a baby she watched him in utter fascination as his brothers ran around the field. As the youngest, Nikola is especially close to his mother, and has been quoted as feeling homesick as he plays in Denver. Nikolina occasionally travels to the United States to visit him, always making sure to cook traditional Serbian dishes that remind him of where he came from.
Who Are Nikola Jokić’s Siblings?
Nikola Jokic has two elder brothers, Strahinja Jokic and Nemanja Jokic. Both of them enjoyed basketball as kids and contributed to raising the interest of Nikola in basketball. They are a regular and enthusiastic presence at Nuggets games – a trait clearly inherited from their father. Nemanja moved to the United States before Nikola and helped him settle in when he first arrived. The brothers are very close, and even the 2023 NBA Championship win was witnessed with Strahinja embracing Nikola at the court.
FAQs
Q: What does Nikola Jokić’s father do for a living?
Serbian agricultural engineer Branislav Jokic owns a horse stable in Sombor, Serbia, called Dreamcatcher, after the first horse of Nikola.
Q: Did Nikola Jokić parents attend the 2023 NBA Finals?
No. Branislav and Nikolina stayed home in Sombor to care for their horses and watched the championship games from Serbia.
Q: Where are Nikola Jokić parents from?
Nikola Jokić parents are from Sombor, a small city in northern Serbia, where they continue to live today.
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