Transfer history, career moves and every Basketball Sphere story, updated automatically.
- Position
- Center
- Team
Denver Nuggets- Nationality
- Serbia
- Born
- 19 Feb 1995
Nikola Jokic is the Denver Nuggets center who turned the 41st pick of the 2014 draft into one of the great careers of his generation. Denver took him in the second round while American television was running a Taco Bell advert instead of the selection: a detail that has followed him ever since, and one that says more about how scouting worked in 2014 than about the player.
He has been named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player three times, in 2021, 2022 and 2024, and he led Denver to the franchise’s first championship in 2023, taking the Finals MVP award with it. In the 2025-26 season he finished second in the MVP vote behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, alongside Victor Wembanyama as the third finalist. With Serbia he has an Olympic silver from Rio in 2016 and a bronze from Paris in 2024.
His European record is shorter than people expect. Jokic came through Mega in Serbia and went straight from the Adriatic League to Denver; he has never played a EuroLeague game. His senior career has run through the Adriatic League and the NBA, so there is little for a European transfer log to record, and almost everything written about him on this site is NBA reporting.
The 2026-27 season is the last guaranteed year of his current deal, worth $58.9 million, with a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28 behind it. If he declines that option he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027, when Denver can also offer him a five-year supermax extension. That timeline is why his name dominated this summer: Panathinaikos owner Dimitrios Giannakopoulos confirmed in August 2026 that he had made an offer to buy out the final guaranteed year, that Denver turned it down, and that he intends to try again when Jokić reaches free agency.
FAQ About Nikola Jokic
Has Nikola Jokic ever played in the EuroLeague?
No. He came through Mega in Serbia, played in the Adriatic League, and moved straight to the Denver Nuggets. He has never appeared in a EuroLeague game, which makes him unusual among Serbian centers of his generation.
When does Nikola Jokic’s contract expire?
The 2026-27 season is the last fully guaranteed year, at $58.9 million. He holds a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28. If he declines it, he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027.
Which pick was Nikola Jokic in the NBA draft?
Forty-first overall, in the second round of the 2014 draft, by Denver. He stayed in Serbia for the 2014-15 season and joined the Nuggets the following summer.
Latest news
- NBA Morning Brief (Oct. 5, 2026): Nikola Jokic wows with assist of the year in Nuggets’ preseason opener
- Anthony Davis motivated to silence doubters: People forgot who I am
- DeMarcus Cousins and Gilbert Arenas blast Nikola Jokic: Our ‘trash’ dominates the EuroLeague
- Nikola Jokic on Denver Nuggets extension: If they still want me
- NBA Morning Brief (Sep. 29, 2026): LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic raise the championship stakes
- Nikola Jokic opens up on Denver Nuggets contract decision and championship hopes
- Dario Saric recalls his NBA rookie ritual, discusses Anadolu Efes return after 10 years
- Toni Kukoc defends ’90s NBA icons over Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic: I will never admit they are better
- Zeljko Obradovic addresses EuroLeague ambitions and Panathinaikos’ Nikola Jokic offer
- Mike Batiste backs Panathinaikos’ Nikola Jokic dream after Dimitris Giannakopoulos’ bold move
- Juancho Hernangomez to seek unexpected advice from former teammate Nikola Jokic
- Denver Nuggets take low-risk, high-reward gamble on Cam Whitmore
