Jokic turns 30 averaging a triple-double
DENVER—The Denver Nuggets gathered around Nikola Jokic near the 3-point line Wednesday and belted out a rather off-key version of “ happy birthday ” in honor of him turning 30.
Usually so poised on the court, the three-time NBA MVP seemed almost bashful.
“I don’t like my birthday,” Jokic explained. “Getting older.”
And better?
“Like wine,” he cracked.
In a lot of ways, Jokic remains very much a kid at heart, right down to his new Peppa Pig-themed sneakers. But his game has certainly matured to the point where he keeps setting the bar higher and higher for himself and just might be in the midst of his finest season of them all. He’s averaging 29.8 points, 12.6 rebounds and 10.2 assists.
In addition, he’s posted a league-leading 25 triple-doubles, which is just four shy of tying the franchise record he set in 2022-23.
No ceiling
His coach, Michael Malone, was stumped by just what might be the ceiling for his big man.
“Geez, I don’t know. He keeps on pushing the envelope,” said Malone, whose team will host Charlotte on Thursday night. “When you’re dealing with greatness, you never want to put a ceiling on that. We want to give him room to grow and and watch that, because it’s really fun to be a part of that process.”
Jokic began suiting up for the Nuggets as a 20-year-old kid who needed to improve his fitness and hone his footwork. Over the past decade, he’s blossomed into one of the league’s most hard-to-contain players and led the Nuggets to their first NBA championship in 2023.
He’s married now with two young kids. He has a bronze medal he earned with Serbia last summer at the Paris Olympics. His sponsor, 361 Degrees, is getting ready to launch his signature shoe, which is inspired by Peppa Pig, the character in the long-running children’s series. (“They made it. I like it. They’re going to be cool,” Jokic said.)
