Nikola Jokić is a global superstar.
Not that we needed any more proof, but we got some anyway.
And in a rather unexpected place – the US Open.
Why unexpected?
Over the years, I’ve done plenty of quizzes with fans at tennis Grand Slams. Easy ones, difficult ones, funny ones, serious ones.
Rarely have so many people known the answer.
A few even looked almost offended by how easy the question was.
Are you seriously asking us this?
Everyone Knows the Joker
“I know who that is. Of course I know,” one fan told me.
How?
“Because I love sports!”
Fair enough.
Another immediately knew where Jokić played.
“That’s the guy who plays for the Nuggets… Djokovic?”
That’s the tennis player, I replied.
“I meant Joker.”
We’ll take it.
One guy didn’t even let me fully unfold the piece of paper with Jokić’s picture before shouting:
“Jokić, man!”
Another knew exactly who he was, even if the name proved a little more difficult.
“Yeah, that’s the guy from the Nuggets. Djo… No… Djok… No.”
Jokić?
“That’s it.”
Close enough.
For some, there wasn’t even a moment of hesitation.
“Easy question. That’s Nikola Jokić.”
And then came perhaps my favorite exchange.
“Yes, that’s Nikola Jokić. I follow basketball.”
What else do you know about him?
“He loves horses!”
Now that’s some real knowledge.
New York Passes the Test
There were, of course, a few people who didn’t recognize him. A few others knew exactly who he was but couldn’t quite pronounce his name.
Still, the conclusion was pretty clear.
New York passed the test as a basketball city – and as the home of the reigning NBA champions.
And remember, we didn’t exactly make it easy for them.
The photo showed Jokić in a Serbia jersey, not a Nuggets one.
So, credit where it’s due, New York.