Beaming children stretch out their hands. Young men and women lean over the railing, almost falling over it. Older fans applaud from a few rows back.
Nikola Jokić applauds back, the expression on his face saying a simple: thank you.
A perfect ending to a night when basketball itself was the reason to celebrate.
And it all started more than two hours before Jokić and Victor Wembanyama jumped for the opening tip between Serbia and France.
Outside Belgrade Arena, beneath the famous giant basketball on the north side of the building, a merch booth has been set up. Serbia’s new national-team jerseys are on sale.
Bogdanović, Jokić, Avramović and Jović.
The price? Practically nothing – just 15,000 dinars, around €130. An old jersey goes for 5,000, roughly €40.
Now that’s a bargain.
The merch booth is buzzing, although plenty of fans have already come properly equipped. Jokić jerseys from both the Denver Nuggets and the Serbian national team, Bogdan Bogdanović shirts, but also jerseys bearing the names of some legendary figures from Serbian basketball’s past.
“Ask us!”
Two girls wearing Jokić jerseys volunteer themselves as I’m doing a quick poll outside the arena: Who’s better, Jokić or Wembanyama?
“Jokiiiiiiiiiiiiić!” they scream with huge smiles on their faces.
Plenty have come from smaller towns, too. Youth basketball clubs have brought their kids to Belgrade, and now they’re posing for pictures in front of the arena.
You won’t find a better school trip than a night like this.
Or a better way for basketball to get into your blood for good.
The Stars Come Out
“I’ve never experienced anything like what we’ve had at the Crowne Plaza hotel over the last two days, with so many kids coming to take pictures with their idols. These guys are carrying basketball on their backs,” Serbia head coach Dušan Alimpijević said.
Around the court, familiar faces are everywhere.
Legendary coach Svetislav Pešić. Crvena zvezda’s new head coach Ibon Navarro. Chima Moneke. Partizan newcomer Kyle Allman. Zoran Erceg, who seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth since ending his playing career…
More importantly for Serbia, several players unavailable for these windows are courtside as well – Bogdan Bogdanović, Filip Petrušev, Vanja Marinković…
And the newly retired Nikola Kalinić.
Even during warmups, Jokić is locked in.
Wembanyama, meanwhile, is laughing on the bench. A little later, he takes a few moments to meditate before the opening tip in front of 17,026 people in New Belgrade.
Jokić vs. Wemby: Tonight, No Question
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“I live in America, I’ve watched them live. Jokić always gets the better of Wembanyama,” one young man tells me outside the arena.
Always? Maybe not.
Tonight? Absolutely.
Jokić finishes with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
“Is there a better point guard than Nikola Jokić?” Serbia head coach Dušan Alimpijević asks at the postgame press conference after being reminded that this Serbian roster lacks players comfortable with the ball in their hands.
On the other side, Wembanyama admits he felt a little “rusty.”
It showed.
Six turnovers. One of six from three.
“He can be the best ever,” Jokić says, hardly bothered by a rare off night from the Alien from Le Chesnay.
A Different Kind of Belgrade Spectacle
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Belgrade is famous for the fire inside its basketball arenas when Partizan and Crvena zvezda play.
This was a different kind of spectacle.
This was a basketball holiday for everyone who loves the game – from five to 95.
The temperature did rise, though.
Especially when Serbia pulled away early in the second half and Aleksa Avramović picked Strazel’s pocket.
There had been another eruption in the first half, when Nikola Đurišić – channeling his mother Vesna, a former Serbia volleyball international – rose for a block that looked like it belonged on a volleyball court.
The all-purpose Jokić can paper over plenty of cracks, but Serbia’s shortage of ball-handlers is obvious.
As expected, Marko Gudurić spent several minutes at point guard. There will surely be more of that if things get tight at any stage against Iceland or Italy.
Nikola Milutinov and Jokić also spent some time together on the floor, although Alimpijević made it clear afterward that it isn’t something we’ll be seeing in the future.
Coming off their summer breaks, neither team played anywhere near its true level.
That was to be expected.
Still, wiry, energetic Gérald Ayayi – excellent for Cholet last season – gave both Frédéric Fauthoux and the Belgrade crowd something to remember.
Fauthoux will also be encouraged by Amine Noua’s knack for exploiting the space that opens up when defenses collapse on France’s biggest stars.
“Who’s the Best?”
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In the end, Serbia nearly let a 12-point lead slip away in the closing stages.
Then Avramović blocked Sylvain Francisco.
Serbia survived.
90–87.
Surrounded by a swarm of photographers, the Serbian players gather at center court.
Captain Jokić gives a short speech.
Then comes the question.
“Who’s the best?!”
The answer from his teammates is immediate.
“Serbia!”
