Nikola Jokić is considered one of the best players in the NBA, and possibly the greatest draft steal in NBA history.
A three-time NBA MVP, Jokić is a seven-time All-Star who’s won a championship and Finals MVP. Jokić also led the Serbian national team to a silver Olympic medal in 2016 and a bronze in Paris last summer.
That said, according to DeMarcus Cousins, a dominant NBA center in his own right, Jokic “don’t give a f–k about” basketball.
“If you ever get a chance to just hold a conversation with him and he tells you a little bit about himself, he’ll let you know off rip, he really don’t give a f–k about this s–t,” Cousins told the ‘Straight Game Podcast’ last month. “He doesn’t care at all. This is like his second or third favorite thing to do, maybe third or fourth.
“Most games when he’s dropping these crazy stats, he probably doesn’t even want to be there, and that’s the scary part about all of it.”
Like Jokić, Cousins was once an elite playmaker who used his large frame and skills to dominate games.
Cousins joined the Denver Nuggets and Jokić during the 2021-22 NBA season after being traded from the Milwaukee Bucks. He played in 31 games for the Nuggets, averaging 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
“When I was in Denver, our lockers were right next to each other,” Cousins said. “… He was like, ‘You know, Cous, I honestly think I might retire after this contract.’ … He was like, ‘Cous, I just want to lay out in my valley with my horses.’
“I was like, ‘Man, you out your (expletive) mind.’ I said, ‘Sign the contract and just get fat at worst, but don’t pass up on the $300 million!’
Jokic was picked 41st overall by the Nuggets in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft. The announcement was famously overshadowed by a Taco Bell commercial unveiling the Quesarito.
Todderick Hunt covers Sports and Culture and Recruiting. Have a story idea or a tip? He can be reached atthunt@njadvancemedia.com.
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