Nikola Jokic is the most-loved athlete in the state of Colorado. The combination of his skill, his humor and how he never has anything bad to say about anyone has made him a gem for Nuggets Nation, along with many more people in the basketball world.
Jokic kicked off his China tour with his shoe brand, 361 Degrees, on Thursday in Guangzhou, the first of six stops for the Serbian superstar on the five-day tour. He will also be in the cities of Foshan, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Shijiazhuang and Beijing.
Jokic touched down in one of the world’s busiest and most-populated countries in the world on Thursday, and he was greeted with open arms. Hundreds, likely thousands more off camera, of fans were waiting for Jokic at the airport with Nuggets jerseys, shoes, photos, scrapbooks, signs and more in their hands, hoping for a signature from their favorite player. One fan even had a horse inflatable!
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The only other players in this league who could potentially garner this kind of attention from an international fanbase are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic and Victor Wembanyama. They’ve cultivated large fanbases in both their home countries and the United States playing in the NBA, and they’ve all attracted an unfathomable amount of positive attention.
For any fans interested in possibly getting their hands on some sweet Jokic merchandise, 361 Degrees is giving away an official 2025 Jokic China Tour Limited Gift Box — a $699 value. Included in the box is a rug, a T-shirt, a “custom flight case” that looks like a lunch pail and a pair of the Joker 1 GT “Sovereign”, a sold-out shoe that retails for $189.
Jokic will be in China until the 21st, and then it’s time for him to get back into the basketball mood after enjoying his summer to the fullest. Jokic is expected to play for Serbia in EuroBasket at the end of August, a tournament that Serbia hasn’t won gold in since 2001. He credited the Olympics for preparing him for the NBA season last year, so it looks like the model will be the same for the 2025-26 season. He had the best season of his career statistically last year, despite not winning MVP nor a championship, so Nuggets fans should be happy he’s doing this, not worried about the rest factor.
