Nikola Jokić cries tears of joy, takes champagne shower after his horse wins race in Serbia
This is not that.
Jokić, whose love of his horses is well-documented, watched one of them win a race in his home country of Serbia on Sunday. Arena Sport TV documented the action and Jokić's reaction in a video that the Denver Nuggets shared Sunday afternoon.
Jokić let the emotions fly.
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After his horse crossed the finish line, Jokić put his head in his hands in tears. He then hopped a fence to access the track, still in tears as he approached his horse and his jockey with his arms wide open. He then shared a hug with the jockey and gave his horse a pat on the back.
The tears kept flowing as he walked with his team to the celebration circle. There, Jokić was in charge of the magnum bottle of champagne. He popped the cork, then sprayed down his team, horse included.
He then proceeded to pour champagne on the heads of his team members while saving the final champagne shower for himself.
It was a display of unbridled joy.
Cue up Jokić's stoic reaction in the immediate aftermath of leading the Nuggets to the NBA championship in 2023:
"It's good," Jokić told ESPN when asked how it feels to win his first championship. "The job is done. We can go home now."
This reaction resulted in jokes about how much Jokić does or doesn't care about basketball. Which were, of course, silly.
Jokić has been the best basketball player in the world for several years running. He's a three-time MVP and a two-time Olympic medalist in addition to being an NBA champion. Of course he cares about about basketball. A lot. One doesn't reach his level without caring.
And he did let his guard down in the ensuing celebrations in the Nuggets locker room ... :
... and again during Denver's championship parade:
But it's fair to say that Jokić's love for his horses and their racing success holds an unparalleled place in his heart.
Nothing — at least in public — seems to come close.
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