About Nikola Jokić
Nikola Jokić ( YOH-kitch; Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Јокић [nǐkola jôkitɕ]; born February 19, 1995) is a Serbian professional basketball player who is a center for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Joker", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players and centers of all time, and is often considered the greatest draft steal in NBA history. Jokić is an eight-time NBA All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team member (including six first-team selections) and a three-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP). He represents the Serbian national team, with which he won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and a bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Jokić was selected 41st overall by the Nuggets in the second round of the 2014 NBA draft. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2016. In the 2018–19 NBA season, while leading the Nuggets to the Western Conference Semifinals, Jokić earned his first All-Star and All-NBA First Team selections. The following season, he led the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals. In the 2020–21 NBA season and 2021–22 NBA season, Jokić won back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player Awards. In the 2022–23 NBA season, he finished second in MVP voting and was named NBA Finals MVP after leading the Nuggets to their first-ever NBA championship. The following season, Jokić won his third NBA Most Valuable Player Award. In the 2024–25 NBA season, he finished second in MVP voting while averaging a triple-double with 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game. The following season, Jokić averaged a triple-double for a second consecutive year with 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game, finishing second in MVP voting again. He also became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in both rebounds and assists per game in the same season. Jokić is only the third player in NBA history to finish top 2 in MVP voting for six straight years. He is only the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double in a season and only the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double in multiple seasons. Jokić is second all-time among NBA players with the most triple-doubles and holds the record for the fastest triple-double (achieved in 14 minutes and 33 seconds). He is the only NBA player ever to achieve a 30+ points, 20+ rebounds, and 20+ assists game. Jokić is the lowest drafted player to win either the NBA Most Valuable Player Award or the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. An eight-time NBA All-Star, Jokić has been named to the All-NBA Team on seven occasions (including five first-team selections), and won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for the 2020–21, 2021–22, and 2023–24 seasons. In the 2018–19 NBA season, while leading the Nuggets to the Western Conference Semifinals, Jokić received his first All-Star and All-NBA First Team selections. In the 2022–23 NBA season, Jokić was awarded NBA Finals MVP after leading the Nuggets to their first-ever NBA championship. An eight-time NBA All-Star, Jokić has been named to the All-NBA Team on seven occasions, and won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for the 2020–21, 2021–22, and 2023–24 seasons.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.