Way back in 2013, Serbian basketball got a rare front-row preview of future global stardom, watching elite talent develop week in and week out.
The epicenter was Serbian club Mega Basket. Their 2012–13 roster featured a young Nikola Jokic , Boban Marjanovic , and Vasilije Micic, all coached by the late Dejan Milojevic, the beloved Golden State Warriors assistant coach. Three other players on that team were later drafted into the NBA, though without making a major splash.
However, Marjanovic was the biggest star at the time and the man for whom the future three-time league MVP served as a backup off the bench at the big man positions. Yet as the 7-foot-4 giant recalls, Jokic held zero resentment about it, showing his humble mentality very early on.
"He's really an extraordinary guy, a kid, a role model of a guy both back then and now, and, man, he's the real deal," Marjanovic recalled on the "X&O's CHAT" podcast. "He's the true definition of what they say: 'The money didn't change you, the fame didn't change you.' Whatever it is, whatever it is, both things still apply."
"He's still down-to-earth, still grounded, still a person you can learn from, not just when it comes to basketball, but also from a normal, educational perspective. So that no matter how much you've succeeded in life, you learn what you need to keep pushing and to become a better version of yourself," Boban added.
In those years, Marjanovic was at the peak of his career, as evidenced by his Serbian League MVP title, while Jokic was merely someone with potential. Years later, Marjanovic entered games as bench support for Jokic on the Serbian national team, but even then, nothing changed.
Boban fondly reminisced about the early days of their relationship and how naturally their chemistry developed off the floor.
"After training, I mean, there were days when we'd go get a regular burger and a Coke at a traffic store. Just him and me together. I mean, I can just imagine that photo now, him and me after training, just chilling, sitting in a red Audi A4, eating a burger and drinking soda," Bobi said.
In the end, Marjanovic didn't live up to what many predicted for him and quickly leaned into a laid-back lifestyle in America, where he became more of an attraction during games for his charismatic presence than for his on-court play.
Jokic, on the other hand, went on to become one of the greatest centers of all time. Marjanovic claims he isn't in the least surprised by the outcome because, from the earliest days, he saw that the Denver Nuggets center possessed something special.
"So the thing is, what he has now, he always had. It's not something people discovered like, 'Wow, it's impossible that we got him like this without knowing.' You knew everything, man, you could see it," Boban stressed. "You could see it in his touch, his reading of the game, his thoughts, the way he talks, how he holds the ball, how he… I don't know, honestly, if I add any more, it'll sound like I'm just praising him, but it's really the truth."
Today, as Jokic is expected to sign the largest contract in league history next summer, worth around $360 million and making him the highest-paid player of all time, surpassing $700 million in career earnings, Marjanovic claims that Jokic hasn't changed a bit.
We're still talking about one of the best players on the planet who completely stays off social media, unassumingly heads back to his hometown in Serbia every offseason, enjoys a cold beer, indulges in comfort food and devotes his time to racing his beloved horses.
The Joker is truly one of a kind.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Sep 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
