Will Jokic play for Serbia at the World Cup

The fact that the most recent NBA Finals MVP - Nikola Jokic, ended the season in the middle of June reduces the chances of him being part of the Serbian national team at the upcoming World Cup, according to the American “The Athletic.”

According to sources from the well-known sports media outlet, there are reports that Jokić may miss the World Cup due to a family celebration he wants to attend. As a result, his current status on the national team remains uncertain.

"During the grueling NBA playoffs and finals series, the promise of playing for the national team was not a priority for Jokic. He declined to comment on questions about his status with the national team. For now, Jokić's next obligation is to attend the championship parade in Denver," writes Joe Vardon, a journalist from The Athletic, in his article.

The President of the Serbian Basketball Federation denies Jokic superiority

Predrag Danilović, president of KSS (Serbian Basketball Federation) and a former Yugoslav basketball star, when asked about Jokić's recent accomplishments, team and personal, and whether he could be deemed the top player from that region. Knowing his past criticism, Danilović responded similarly to the questions.

“I don’t think Jokic is history’s best European basketball player. I am strongly against any comparison between past and present eras. Every time he carries some of his heroes. Kića used to be the best, and then it was Dražen, then Kukoc, then Divac, then me... Basketball used to be played differently, with different rules, and it is impossible and frivolous to make such comparisons. I’m not interested in those fair guesses, but there’s no doubt that Nikola is one of the best.”

Compared to his 2019 statement, his recent declaration marks a slight shift. Specifically, he previously mentioned that only Bogdan Bogdanović could play alongside him and Aleksandar Đorđević among NBA players from the region, including Jokić and Luka Dončić. One can think that the club affiliation of the president, which is Partizan Basketball club(same as Bogdanovic), was a deciding factor in his opinion about the 2023 NBA champion and Finals MVP.

Nikola Jokic and his international caps

Jokić has represented Serbia in three major competitions to date. In 2016, Serbia won silver at the Olympic Games, while three years later, they ranked fifth at the World Cup in China. Most recently, Svetislav Pešić's team participated in the Eurobasket in 2022, making it to the Round of 16.

The FIBA World Cup will take place in the Philippines and run from August 25 to September 10. In the tournament’s initial phase, Serbia will compete against South Sudan, China, and Puerto Rico in their group.