Nikola Jokic once made the Nuggets team wait for 3 hours due to horses / News - Basketnews.com

The Nuggets had just played two nights in a row against the Knicksand the Nets at the end of March. The team was ready to travel to Washington. However, Jokic wanted to see the horses and made the entire organization wait for him for 3 hours.

Credit: USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix Credit USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix

On top of being an all-world talent on the basketball court, the Denver Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic is an avid horse racing fan and enthusiast. The latest proof - a story from just several months ago.

2-pointers this season

57%31,6Points made:31,6Accuracy:57,1%Place in standings:5Record max:50Record min:22Most made 2FGs:Nikola JokicTeamNBAStatisticsSchedule

Jokic owns a stable in his hometown of Sombor, Serbia. Each summer, he's spending his time working with horses and training them for races. Jokic is friends with Hall of Fame harness racing champion Tim Tetrick who helping the Joker improve in the sport.

In an interview with The New York Daily News, Tetrick recalled that Jokic once forced the entire Nuggets organization to wait for him so that he can pursue his passion outside of the basketball court.

It was the end of March. The Nuggets had just played two nights in a row against the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets. The team was ready to travel to Washington. However, Jokic wanted to see Tetrick and the horses.

"They were taking the train to Washington, and he made them wait three more hours so he could work with horses," the renowned jockey said. "I joked to him, 'So you're like Dennis Rodman. You got to get your fix.'"

In another case, Jokic landed with the team in Philadelphia at the end of January at around 3:30 AM. At 6 AM, he was already visiting Tetrick.

"He told me, 'My job is basketball, but my passion is horse racing'," Tetrick told. "He said, 'I would trade you jobs in a heartbeat if it paid better'."

Credit ALN

As much as Jokic would like to race against Tetrick or any other professional of the harness racing sport, he's not allowed to by his contract.

"I was going to have a match race with him, and he said, 'Tim, I want to so bad, but the insurance is not going to let me'," Tetrick revealed.

Last summer, Jokic shared thathe'd like to become a trotting coachonce his career is over.

"My dream is to move back to Serbia and become a trotting coach after my basketball career," Jokic told Peter Andersson of TV4. "My country is, unfortunately, the worst in Europe in trotting, and there are maybe 150 starting horses, and it is very difficult to start abroad. But it's still great fun."

Like what we are doing? You can express your gratitude here.