It’s a story of international camaraderie that will warm the hearts of Nuggets fans everywhere.
Over the weekend, Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic won another horse racing trophy in his hometown of Sombor, Serbia – with teammate Aaron Gordon by his side.
Jokic, whose Serbian offseason has famously been a vibe since day one, could be seen on video riding his bike to Hippodrome Sombor, the local horse racing track.
Gordon, also an integral part of Denver’s NBA title earlier this summer, was also in attendance, hanging out with Jokic trackside and in the stands.
🃏 🏇 NBA šampioni Jokić i Gordon uživaju u trkama konja u Somboru! pic.twitter.com/8ttdMppk3S
— Arena Sport TV (@arenasport_tv) August 13, 2023
For the uninitiated, horse racing is near and dear to Jokic’s heart.
He owns several horses, and said during the 2023 postseason run that he planned to buy another regardless of whether the Nuggets hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Jokic’s desire to just get home to his horses instead of going to the Nuggets championship parade (he later changed his tune) made him an internet icon. He’s displayed his horse racing ribbons more prominently at his locker than his MVP trophies.
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His father, Branislav, even told The Associated Press that he had to convince Nikola to be “a basketball player first and a great horseman later.”
Jokic has spent much of his summer at the track after opting out of playing for his native country in the FIBA World Cup. It will end up being a short offseason for the Nuggets, who wrapped up their title run on June 12 and typically return for training camp in late September.
The Nuggets kick off preseason play on Oct. 10 in Phoenix.
Nikola Jokić partying after another horse racing win 🏆😂 pic.twitter.com/hezkjWQ85l
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) July 25, 2023