Nikola Jokic is changing the narrative surrounding NBA stars / News - Basketnews.com

Nikola Jokic's first NBA title was the ultimate achievement of his immense talent on the court. But the Serbian big man is also changing the narrative surrounding the NBA stars outside of the court with his unique combination of calm, selflessness, and distancing from others.

Credit: ZUMAPRESS.com - Scanpix Credit ZUMAPRESS.com - Scanpix

After spending eight years in the league, Serbian superstar Nikola Jokic finally achieved the biggest goal an NBA player can dream of: winning an NBA title.

Nikola Jokic

MIN:34.97PTS:25.73 (66.58%)REB:12.2As:9.75ST:1.21BL:0.75TO:3.56GM:89ProfileNBA2022/2023

He did it with the Denver Nuggets, the team that originally drafted him and trusted him to become one of the best players in the league, if not the best.

Winning an NBA title can be quite an emotional moment, especially after you've been chasing that ring for a few years.

Looking back at the last few years, both Steph Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo were already fighting tears in the last few seconds before they were officially crowned NBA champions.

But, of course, winning such an important title is different for every person involved. Not everyone has the same type of emotional reaction in these moments.

When Game 5 of this year's Finals was over, several Nuggets players looked extremely emotional. Jamal Murray covered his face with the jersey as he started crying; Bruce Brown, a key element for the Nuggets in the title run, also covered his face with his hands, trying to hide the emotions of the moment.

However, Nikola Jokic didn't look as moved as his teammates. He immediately reached the Miami Heat's bench to shake Erik Spoelstra's hands and to ensure that every player on Heat's bench received the right amount of attention.

Jokic remained remarkably calm. From the outside, he didn't really look like someone who just won an NBA title and did so with historical numbers.

Just to make it clear, Jokic's postseason was absolutely one for the ages: he finished the playoffs averaging 30 points, 13.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. As Ivica Zubac said in a recent interview with BasketNews, those were "videogame numbers".

Points this season

50%115,3Points made:115,3Accuracy:50,2%Place in standings:11Record max:146Record min:88Best scorer:Nikola JokicTeamNBAStatisticsSchedule

But the Serbian superstar never really cared about numbers. Every single time reporters mentioned that he broke another NBA record, the usual Jokic reaction has been to shrug his shoulders and say that stats aren't important.

The Denver Nuggets big man is not an easy man to impress, that's for sure. And so it wasn't that surprising, after all, to see his reaction right after winning the NBA title.

Calm, composed, almost disinterested, as if he had just finished another day at the office. When ESPN reporter Lisa Salters interviewed the Serbian star immediately after the game and asked him how he felt after winning the title, Jokic's answer was extremely straightforward.

"It's good, it's good, the job is done, now we can go home," Jokic said.

Only a few words and not much emotion were shown to the cameras. Of course, it can hardly be said that Jokic was not happy to have won the title. As the hours went by, and with the alcohol level rising in the bodies of all the Nuggets players, the Serbian player also indulged in the celebrations, dragging Jamal Murray into the pool, for example.

Even in the post-game press conference, while everyone was asking about the upcoming parade in Denver, Jokic looked much more concerned about his need to go back home to Sombor.

He didn't spend a single second of that press conference talking about his achievements or numbers. Instead, he praised the contribution of his teammates, the chemistry that the team showed throughout the season and stressed how difficult of an opponent Miami was during the series.

When he stops playing, Jokic will go down as one of the best players of his generation for what he did on the court, but he'll also leave a mark on the usual narrative surrounding the NBA stars.

For a long time, players such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were always considered ideal role models for leaders.

These two superstars carried with them the idea of obsession with winning, that the only way to get to the top was through absolute dedication to the sport, which also involved being tyrants to teammates.

Such an extreme conception of victory than any other achievement was considered a total failure, not even worth discussing.

Around Kobe Bryant, for example, arose the concept of "Mamba Mentality," which has been abused to such an extent over the years that it has taken on almost ridiculous connotations in some cases.

Taking shots without any logical sense just because "you only miss the shots you don't take," and other ridiculous exaggerations often stem from this extremism of the idea that you win only on your own strength and that you cannot trust anyone else but yourself.

Nikola Jokic, for his part, has always shied away from this obsessive pursuit of absolute greatness. Mind you, since entering the league, the Serbian player has worked hard to get to the top.

He has improved his athletic condition so much that he has quickly become one of the best passers in the entire league. He has grown steadily to become one of the best players in the league and won two MVP titles in a row.

At the same time, Jokic often stressed his disinterest in individual awards and the records he was breaking, deeming them unimportant.

Remember those episodes of The Last Dance, the documentary about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, in which Jordan emphasized how not receiving the MVP award in a season motivated him to annihilate his opponent?

Well, Jokic has always had a totally opposite mentality. He has always conducted himself in a very positive way, even after some burning defeats, he has always taken good care of his teammates.

Jokic is not the type of player who makes big speeches in the locker room, he often let veterans, like DeAndre Jordan this season, be the most vocal presence in the locker room.

And while winning was important, the Serbian big man often reminded every single reporter that basketball is, first and foremost, a job and that his family, his country, and his horses were as important, if not more, in his life.

His manner, so humble and aloof, has never changed, even after the mega contract extension signed with the Nuggets, which will go into effect next season and will result in Jokic earning more than $260 million.

"I've said this many times before, but Nikola, even tonight, he's kind of acting like this was just another game. He's never changed with all the success, and he never will. It's just not his nature", Michael Malone, the head coach of the Denver Nuggets, said about Jokic after winning the NBA title.

As he's changing the game on the court, proving that big men can lead a team to a title, the Serbian superstar is also changing the narrative surrounding the biggest players in the league, showing that there isn't only a way to be a leader.

If we want to find a comparison with a past champion, in terms of behavior and attitude, Jokic seems to be much more like Tim Duncan, the former star of the San Antonio Spurs.

Both of them have always been rather quiet and media-shy players, surrounding themselves almost exclusively with their families and a few trusted friends, limiting contact with the more glamorous part of the NBA basketball world to a minimum.

Nikola Jokic's real greatness should be measured not only on the court but also off it because of how he was able to change the existing rhetoric without ever being swayed by outside influences and remaining purely himself, through and through.

The hope is that the title he just won may be just the beginning of the Jokic era and that many will finally begin to understand that there is no one path to success in the NBA.

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