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"The NBA season takes a lot out of him. Every year, we have either it's a European championship, or a World Championship, or the Olympic Games... And there is always a question mark 'Will he play? Is he gonna play for his national team?' There is always a debate. People are very passionate about the best players playing for our national team. It’s a lot of responsibility for him. I get him, I understand that. But he has done so much for our country and then for basketball as a whole. It’s amazing."

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“Basketball is the biggest sport we have in our country,” he explained, “Jokic is phenomenal. Honestly, what he does, how he does it. And also, the way he goes about his private life. People thought at the beginning that he was fake, that he was like not interested in anything except his family and his horses. But that’s really everything he is interested in, truthfully, honestly. I really respect that.” “He’s such a talent, he also works hard, and he has got a huge basketball IQ, and just to see him dominate with incredible athletes in American basketball is just something we are all very proud of,” he added, “We all support him.”

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Luka Doncic: 🐐🐐🐐 @DjokerNole

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Wimbledon: Who better to welcome @russwest44 to SW19, than @DjokerNole 🏀🎾 #Wimbledon

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NBA: Curry x Djokovic 🏀🎾

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Novak Djokovic recalled watching Nikola Jokic play in Serbia once. And another time in Turkey, when Jokic was suiting up for the Serbian national team. But this was Djokovic’s first time rooting for his friend live at an NBA game. Jokic supplied 35 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. So, as he was saying … “What he has done for not just Serbian basketball but European basketball in general is incredible,” Djokovic continued after Jokic turned the other way. “He has rewritten the history books in the last three years, and he just keeps going. He is in his prime. He’s the best. We’re super proud of him. I’m a great supporter of him, everything he does. We didn’t have too many athletes like him in the history (of Serbia), so he’s right up there. And he still isn’t finished.”

Denver Post

Djokovic considers basketball the “No. 1 sport” in Serbia. He’s enough of a hoops fan to remember Jokic playing in the Serbian and Adriatic leagues as a fringe NBA prospect a decade ago. Eventually, as Jokic’s status grew, the two athletes met through mutual friends. They ran into each other at a couple of sporting events in Serbia. They developed a mutual fandom that extended to congratulatory texts from Djokovic to Jokic during the Nuggets’ 2023 playoff run.

Denver Post

“We always followed each other’s careers and respected and admired each other,” Djokovic said. “So now I think the more time passes by, the more we appreciate each other and what we are doing professionally. But also privately, I think we click really well. He’s a family-oriented guy like myself. He’s really close with his family, with his origins, with his country, with his city. And it’s very important obviously to never forget where you came from. He reached the summit of one of the most important sports in the world and is one of the most recognized athletes in the world. It’s just amazing he’s from Serbia.”

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BasketNews: Nikola Jokic & Novak Djokovic finally met each other ☺️ pic.twitter.com/nlRXi5n7vq

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Maljkovic shared this news while reflecting on Serbia's second-place finish in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. "We didn't have NBA MVP, Nikola Jokic. Neither Vasilije Micic, the MVP of the EuroLeague. Nor Nikola Kalinic. I think we come together and get the best out of us, as in all sports," he said. "I can be proud of Novak Djokovic's season and Ivana Spanovic [Serbian long jumper], who won gold in the 2023 World Athletics Championships. "By the way, I already announced that in Paris, they will be all, Jokic included. The Paris Games will be a party, and I am confident that Serbian sport will have a large participation."

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Clutch Points: “Kobe was [a] close friend… 24 is the jersey he wore when he became a legend… I thought it could be a nice symbolic thing to acknowledge him.” Novak Djokovic on his “Mamba Forever” shirt after winning his 24th Grand Slam 🥹 (via @usopen) pic.twitter.com/8dQi1GoHPR

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Clutch Points: Novak Djokovic rocking a Kobe Bryant 'Mamba Forever' tee shirt after winning the US Open Championship💜💛 pic.twitter.com/hEQuqp2hDU

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"Serbia is a basketball country, it’s in our blood. They say it’s a good time to be Serbian. [Nikola] Jokic is the best player in the NBA right now. [Novak] Djokovic is No. 1 in tennis. It’s an athletic country, we rely a lot on our sports," Vukcevic said. Vukcevic's next home could be Washington, D.C. The Wizards have yet to determine where he will play next season, but he may end up in the NBA if Washington's front office and coaching staff decide to give him a roster spot in the fall.

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Clutch Points: "Mamba Mentality, Kobe Bryant. You know it's going to happen already before it actually happens. I truly believe in that power. Mental power, projecting your thoughts and creating your future." Novak Djokovic on his mindset before the French Open final pic.twitter.com/W8iK7rvSO7

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