Courtside, Novak Djokovic gave his fellow countryman and NBA player Nikola Jokic an embrace following the Denver Nuggets’ victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, March 2.
The Denver Nuggets, the reigning NBA champions, defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 124-114 to increase their winning run to six games. Nikola Jokic put on a very strong effort, scoring 35 points to help the team win.
Basketball great LeBron James became the first player in NBA history to score 40,000 points in a regular season during this game. To become the NBA’s all-time top scorer, James had to exceed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 points set decades earlier.
Attending the Nuggets vs. Lakers game at the Crypto.com Arena was Novak Djokovic, who is presently in California starting his campaign at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
When Nikola Jokic approached the World No. 1 after the match, he was observed doing an interview courtside. The interview was abruptly terminated in the middle by Novak Djokovic. The 36-year-old hugged his countryman and most likely congratulated him on his victory, showing his enthusiasm.
Nikola Jokic and Novak Djokovic have mutual respect
Mutual respect and admiration have always existed between Nikola Jokic and Novak Djokovic. The Serbian described Jokic as an amazing person at a press conference held last year, referring to him as the “best basketball player in the world” and saying that he is the “pride for Serbia.”
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“I don’t think anyone can do what he is doing at the moment. Definitely the best basketball player in the world. I cheer for him greatly. He’s an amazing guy and the pride of Serbia.”
In response, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic was praised by Nikola Jokic as well, who said that the player is a real “master of his craft” and that words cannot adequately describe him.
“There are no words to describe it. He’s the master of his craft and probably one of the greatest ever. He is the guy who represents Serbia in a much bigger scene.“
The 29-year-old stressed that the 24-time Grand Slam winner is someone he wishes to be and who acts as an idol for the young people in Serbia. Jokic also gave the World No. 1 credit for the significant effort his organization is carrying out for Serbian youngsters. The basketball player also called Novak Djokovic the “ambassador of Serbia.”
