Nikola Jokić playing in Serbia’s July World Cup qualifiers was already big news.
Nikola Jokić happily speaking to Serbian media before and after games?
That might have been the bigger surprise.
For years, Jokić rarely gave interviews while representing Serbia. Whether it was training camp or a major tournament, media sessions were often brief – or didn’t happen at all.
It always felt like a missed opportunity for Serbian basketball.
Basketball occupies a special place in Serbian sports culture. Fans follow the national team obsessively, and many stay awake deep into the night just to watch Jokić play for the Denver Nuggets.
Naturally, they want to hear what he has to say, too.
The Reluctant Interviewee
Talk to any of his national-team teammates off the record and you’ll hear the same description: friendly, humble, approachable and easy-going.
Serbian players have traditionally enjoyed a good relationship with the journalists covering the national team.
Jokić was the exception.
There were times when he simply walked past reporters without stopping. Sometimes there were explanations. Sometimes we were simply informed that he wouldn’t be speaking.
A New Kind of Leadership
Something has changed.
Jokić spoke before Serbia’s game against Switzerland. He spoke after the game. He spoke again ahead of the matchup with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Now he isn’t just Serbia’s best player.
He’s the captain.
“This press conference should be about the team,” Jokić said after Serbia’s win over Switzerland.
That one sentence says plenty about how Jokić views leadership.
On the floor, Jokić has always made the players around him better. Now, it feels like he’s embracing the same responsibility away from it.
Perhaps Alimpijević’s Biggest Victory Yet
When asked how head coach Dušan Alimpijević informed him that he would become captain, Jokić smiled.
“I’m not going to tell you how he actually said it.”
Then he laughed and continued:
“I’ve known the coach for a long time. We have the same circle of friends. We’ve known each other since way back. We even played against each other 11 or 12 years ago, when he was coaching Vojvodina – and I beat him,” Jokić joked.
“I’ve always enjoyed talking to Dule, whether it’s basketball or just joking around. We communicate a lot, and that’s always a good thing.”
One of Dušan Alimpijević’s first victories as Serbia’s head coach may have nothing to do with tactics.
He seems to have helped Jokić become more open – not only with his teammates, but also with the Serbian public.
That is good news for everyone around the national team.
Because when the best player in the world embraces the responsibilities that come with being captain, everyone benefits.