In 2014, while ESPN was airing a Taco Bell commercial, the Denver Nuggets quietly selected a little-known Serbian center named Nikola Jokić with the 41st pick in the draft. Fast forward to today, and Jokić is a two-time NBA MVP (2021, 2022), the 2023 NBA Finals MVP, and widely regarded as the best player in the world.
He became the first center to average over 9 assists per game in a season, and the only player in league history to average a triple-double while shooting over 63% from the field in the playoffs. His game is pure basketball IQ—vision, timing, footwork, and feel. Jokić didn’t just defy expectations—he redefined what a center can be.
From a second-round pick to the face of the NBA, his story is already the stuff of legend.
