Nikola Jokic’s MVP trophy MISSING: Nuggets star says he left it in equipment manager’s office

Have you seen Nikola Jokic’s MVP trophy?

The Nuggets superstar hasn’t been able to find his Bill Russell Award since Denver’s five-game NBA Finals victory over the Miami Heat on Monday night. Jokic remembers receiving the award along with his 1-year-old daughter Ognjena and recalls leaving it in the trainers room, but can’t remember where the trophy was afterwards.

“I gotta tell you, I’ve done a few of these NBA Finals MVP interviews and you’re the first one to come in without the trophy,” ESPN’s Malika Andrews told Jokic during a Monday post-game interview that was finally released Wednesday. .

“I really don’t know,” Jokic said. ‘I left it in [equipment manager] Sparky [Gonzales’s] room, and it’s not there anymore. So I do not know.’

Nuggets spokesmen did not immediately respond to a belated email Wednesday night asking whether Jokic has found the prize.

Nikola Jokic remembers receiving the prize together with his 1-year-old daughter Ognjena

Nikola Jokic will leave the track on Monday after winning the Bill Russell Award as Finals MVP

The good thing for Jokic is that his native Serbia looks forward to his triumphant return, with or without his MVP hardware.

It was only just dawn when Nikola Jokic’s hardcore fans shouted ‘MVP! MVP!’ and celebrated the Denver Nuggets’ first NBA title.

Denver trailed the Miami Heat at halftime of Game 5, but rallied to win 94–89, with two-time MVP Jokic posting 28 points and 16 rebounds and collecting the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player trophy took.

Every shot, rebound or block the Serbian center made caused loud cheers and screams in a dilapidated sports hall in the small and otherwise sleepy northern Serbian town near the border with Croatia and Hungary, where fans watched the game on a big screen.

The loudest ovation came when the typically humble, stone-faced Jokic said in a post-match on-court interview, “It’s time to go home.”

It was early Tuesday morning in Sombor when the Nuggets won the NBA title

Nikola Jokic’s hometown rejoices as he wins NBA Finals MVP honors Monday night

Soon, the fans who spent sleepless nights watching the NBA Finals will see him in person when he returns home to tend to his racehorses.

It was only just dawn when the hardcore fans of Nikola Jokic in his Serbian hometown of Sombor shouted ‘MVP! MVP!’ and celebrated the Denver Nuggets’ first NBA title.

Denver trailed the Miami Heat at halftime of Game 5, but rallied to win 94–89, with two-time MVP Jokic posting 28 points and 16 rebounds and collecting the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player trophy took.

Every shot, rebound or block the Serbian center made caused loud cheers and screams in a dilapidated sports hall in the small and otherwise sleepy northern Serbian town near the border with Croatia and Hungary, where fans watched the game on a big screen.

The loudest ovation came when the typically humble, stone-faced Jokic said in a post-match on-court interview, “It’s time to go home.”

Soon, the fans who spent sleepless nights watching the NBA Finals will see him in person when he returns home to tend to his racehorses.

For the tiny Balkan state of just over 6 million people, June has been a month few will ever forget. A Serbian sweep gave Jokic his first NBA ring and tennis star Novak Djokovic a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title when he won the French Open on Sunday.

“It’s just amazing,” Jokic’s father Branislav, who runs a local harness racing club on the outskirts of Sombor, said in an interview. “I don’t think this great achievement can ever be repeated.”

People react watching a live broadcast of Game 5 of the NBA Finals in Sombor, Serbia

The stables are called the Dream Catcher after the name of the first racehorse Jokic bought years ago when he developed a strong passion for horses and horse racing.

Not far away is a basketball court where Jokic first trained near his elementary school, with a large mural of him in a Nuggets’ No. 15 jersey and an inscription: “Don’t be Afraid to Fail Big.”

Branislav Jokic, who wore a blue Denver Nuggets jersey, said no one could have predicted Nikola’s success as a basketball player as he progressed from a small-town talent, “who was a little overweight at one point,” to the regional competition and then he signed his first contract with the Nuggets.

“He had something special in him. I rarely say it today, but I just knew he was going to be a good basketball player,” he said. “But what heights he would reach, no one could know then.”

Branislav Jokic said that although his son trained hard to reach the highest level, his mind was always focused on a love of horses.

“He started to grow, both in height and size, and he started to realize that he could be a basketball player, but he had a great desire at the time. He would say, “Daddy, I want to be a rider.” And I always told him, ‘Son, first become a basketball player and later you will be a great rider,’ Branislav Jokic said.

People react watching a live broadcast of Game 5 of the NBA Basketball Finals

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic’s horse stable in the northern Serbian city of Sombor

Jokic became the lowest drafted player – 41st overall in the second round in 2014 – to win the Finals MVP. He also became only the third runner-up to win the award.

Jokic also became the first player in NBA history to lead the playoffs in points scored, rebounds and assists. With a total of 600 points, 269 rebounds and 190 assists, he led in all three categories.

Jokic and Djokovic, unique athletes who grew up about 2 1/2 hours away from each other in a country not much more populous than Colorado, are on the hunt for titles and records that have left their mark on their name. in the history books.

‘Sport is something special in Serbia. We have Novak, who is probably the best ever, Novak is the best ever for us, now we have an NBA champion,” Jokic said at a press conference. “It’s a very good feeling to be a Serb now.”