Nikola Jokić: Every NBA Player Should Play in Europe
The Nuggets star says European and national team basketball prioritize winning over stats, urging NBA players to spend six months playing there.
Nikola Jokić says he would like every NBA player to spend six months playing in Europe, arguing that the priority there is different from the one he sees in the league.
The Denver centre was asked at media day how playing for Serbia and competing in high-pressure international matches has shaped him. He pointed to a gap between the two environments.
"In Europe and on the national team, the main thing is to win. I know that might sound stupid, but in the NBA you can see that some players need to score their points, take a certain number of shots, or reach other statistical numbers. On the national team and in European basketball, the main thing is winning. I would like every NBA player to come and spend six months in Europe, to understand how great the pressure is there," Jokić said.
The three-time NBA MVP used the Euroleague as his example of how seriously results are taken.
"On Wednesday you play against Olympiacos in Greece, and then you have a home game against Crvena Zvezda or Partizan. If you lose three matches in a row, that becomes a big problem. People there take basketball very seriously. For them it is a matter of pride," the Serbian centre said.
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