Serbia’s SOMBOR (AP) — In time to witness his beloved horses compete in his hometown of Serbia, Nikola Jokic returned to Serbia.
Jokic returned to his hometown of Sombor on Sunday to indulge in his great passion for horse racing, less than a week after helping the Denver Nuggets win their first NBA title.
Thousands of Jokic’s followers gathered at the local horse racing track where he was seeing his family’s horses compete in harness races in the typically sleepy 47,000-person town in northern Serbia. Many others were sporting T-shirts that featured Jokic’s likeness and proclaimed “Be the Next Champion” and “Sombor, the Town of Champions.”
Jokic could be seen wearing the No. 15 Nuggets jersey on a billboard that said “Welcome Home MVP” and included galloping horses.
Jokic was worried about making it home in time for Sunday’s races after the team’s victory parade in Denver on Thursday after winning the NBA championship. He jokingly said he would ask Josh Kroenke, the president of the Nuggets, to lend him the team plane so he could make it on time.
For the Sombor Hippodrome, today was a noteworthy occasion. People were lining up in long lines to attend, and there were beer and BBQ vendors set up in full force.
Jokic and the local press arrived at the track after them. He is renowned for being quiet and shy, so he passed journalists when he entered the racetrack instead of speaking to them.
He occasionally made an appearance in the spectator area with members of his family and friends, watched every race in which his family’s stable competed, and then vanished from view. He was with his wife, daughter, parents, brother, and friends.
When Jokic first emerged, the crowd exploded in cheers and clapping. He was wearing a polo shirt with the name of the first horse he had ever bought and the words “Dream Catcher” embroidered on it.
Branislav, his father, said Jokic wouldn’t be responding to queries from media.
He stated to me, “Dad, I have had enough publicity these last few days,” according to Branislav Jokic. “And I trust him,”
In his early years, Jokic discovered a deep love for horses and horse racing, which, according to his father, almost caused him to give up basketball.
Denver won the NBA championship on Monday by defeating the Miami Heat 94-89. Jokic finished with 28 points and 16 rebounds while also winning the NBA Finals MVP award.
Jokic, who goes by the moniker “Joker” among his supporters, recently put on a historic playoff performance in which he set league records for most points (600), rebounds (269), and assists (190) in a single postseason.