Denver and Serbia have developed a strong connection over recent years thanks to three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets superstar has established himself as the best player in the NBA, and has attracted a lot of Serbian hoops fans to the Mile High City to watch him dominate the rest of the NBA.
In return, there have been plenty of Nuggets fans and Denver residents who have cheered on the Serbians in international play such as the Olympics or EuroBasket to support their superstar and the European fanbase that has given them so much love over recent years.
One aspect of the Serbian national team that’s fun for fans to see is Jokic teaming up with Nikola Jokic, a young player who spends his time in the NBA with the Miami Heat. The 22-year-old just inked a four-year rookie contract extension and is looking to make a name for himself down in South Beach, but that wasn’t the outcome that Jokic was hoping for.
According to a story from the Miami Herald, Jokic was hopeful that his Serbian friend with an almost identical name would find his name of the back of a Denver Nuggets jersey.
“He was mad because I signed the extension. He wanted me in Denver,” Jovic joked in the interview.
When they played together for Team Serbia, it was clear that they had established some kind of chemistry in just a short period of time.
Jokić ➡️ Jović pic.twitter.com/SKgvtbWf4I
— Mihailo (@SerbianMamba_) August 21, 2025
Knowing how talented Jokic is at getting the ball out to his teammates, it would almost be more concerning if they didn’t have any chemistry.
The Nuggets would’ve had to trade for Jovic, and given both team’s limited cap flexibility, it would’ve been very tough to get a deal done following their respective offseason moves. It certainly would been fun to have them both in Denver, and it would likely attract even more fans from Serbia to the Mile High City, but the logistics of the deal are just too difficult at the moment. If a deal were to get done, it would’ve had to have been before Jovic was extended by Miami.
As soon as the Nuggets extended Christian Braun, the double-Nikola dream in Denver was dead.
Jovic has had a tough start to the season after inking his rookie extension. He is now on the bench after he began the season in Erik Spoelstra’s starting five, as he’s averaging 8.7 points and four rebounds per game while shooting right around 40% from the field. That’s not exactly what Miami was hoping to get from their young talent who they just gave a bunch of money to, and they’re hoping a bench role can give him his spark back.
The two will face off for the first time this season when the Heat travel to the Mile High City to take on the Nuggets Wednesday night. Tip from Ball Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. MT.
Read the full story by Anthony Chiang in the Miami Herald here.
