Nikola Jokic Temporarily Lost NBA Finals MVP Trophy

Nikola Jokic’s apparent apathy towards the Denver Nuggets winning the NBA Finals has been a major talking point this week. The 28-year-old displayed just how indifferent he is by temporarily misplacing his Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award.

ESPN’s Malika Andrews posted an interview with the Serbian superstar on Wednesday (June 14) where she was taken aback by him not being in possession of the trophy. “I really don’t know,” Jokic replied when asked about the whereabouts of his newly won hardware. “I left it in [equipment manager Sparky Gonzales’] room and it’s not there anymore. So, I don’t know. But hopefully it can arrive in my house.”

The internet made a huge commotion after that revelation, with some going as far as to surmise that the two-time regular season MVP “hates basketball.” He spoke about the sport’s place in his life when Andrews asked about any improvements he can make on the court, saying “I think I can be much better. But you need to still sacrifice yourself. Basketball is not the main thing in my life. It’s something that I’m good at.”

Jokic’s attitude days later is consistent with his lack of excitement immediately after winning the NBA Finals. ESPN’s Lisa Salters asked how it felt to get his hands on the championship during the postgame press conference, and the dominant center replied “It’s good, it’s good. The job is done, we can go home now.”

He reiterated his desire to go home when someone mentioned the Denver Nuggets’ championship parade on Thursday (June 15), even seeming annoyed when learning that it would take place. Fortunately, the world learned via a Malika Andrews tweet that the five-time All-Star’s NBA Finals MVP trophy has been recovered and cleaned in an effort to be parade-ready. The verdict is still out on whether Jokic will actually be there to hoist it up for the fans in attendance.

The Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday evening (June 12), securing the franchise’s first ring in their 47-year history in the NBA. It capped off a dominant playoff run, which included defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, and Los Angeles Lakers prior to the NBA Finals. Notably, the Nuggets eliminated the Timberwolves in five games, the Suns in six games, and did not lose a single game to the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

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