Serbian NBA superstar Nikola Jokic is refusing to put himself in the same league as Novak Djokovic as he highlighted the tennis star is the ultimate ambassador for Serbia.
Jokic, 28, is widely considered among the best players in the NBA, having won back-to-back NBA MVP awards in 2021 and 2022 before just narrowly missing out on the award for the third consecutive year earlier this month.
On Monday night, Jokic had another brilliant performance as his Denver Nuggets completed a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
After the game, a reporter asked Jokic about Djokovic and their impact on Serbian kids.
“I don’t have his number, to be honest, but he is the guy who represents Serbia in a much bigger scene. He is a Serbian ambassador. Heās really an idol to the kids in Serbia and not just on the court, but in the things his foundation is doing. He is the guy you can look up to, I want to be like him. He’s doing something great for kids, for Serbia, for everything. We cannot be compared,” Jokic said, via Sportskeeda.
Djokovic shown respect byĀ Jokic, Holger Rune
Jokic has been through to the NBA Finals, while Djokovic will attempt to win a record 23rd Grand Slam at the French Open.
Last week, Djokovic suffered a Rome quarterfinal loss to Holger Rune.
Djokovic hasn’t won any titles during this year’s clay season but Rune said the Serb will still be the man to beat at the French Open.
āI still think Novak is the main favourite for the event. Heās the one with the most Slams of whoās playing, the most experienced. Then we have Alcaraz. We have Medvedev. We have a lot of guys. I think if I have to pick one favourite, Iāll probably pick Novak. But itās more open as we donāt have Rafa this year. For sure [Medvedev] has been showing some good signs in this clay season, playing better and better. For sure I think he is one of the favourites,” Rune said of Djokovic.