"I never thought I'm gonna do something big in basketball" – Nikola Jokic reveals how his love for basketball helped him overcome adversity when no one thought he would go to the NBA originally appeared on Basketball Network .
Following the league for years, we've seen many different types of players rise to the top in various ways. When it comes to the greats, there are generally two paths: either you're labeled "The chosen one" early on, like LeBron James , Cooper Flagg , Zion Williamson or Victor Wembanyama – or you come from the shadows and become one of the best ever, like Kobe Bryant or Stephen Curry , among others.
But when it comes to Nikola Jokic , he did something the NBA had never seen before. Selected 41st overall in the second round by the Denver Nuggets without any hype, he rose to become an NBA champion, a three-time MVP, and finished second two more times – a Western Conference Finals MVP, NBA Finals MVP, seven-time All-Star, and five-time All-NBA First Team member.
On top of that, he posted a season where he became only the third player in history to average a triple-double: 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists, 1.8 steals, shooting 57.6 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from three and 80 percent from the line – arguably a Top 5 season of all time, by any player.
And yet, Jokic himself never had big expectations.
" Play the game ," he said . " Just enjoy it. Because at that moment I never thought I'm gonna do something big in basketball. I was just trying to play. Just play and enjoy the game if you love it. If you don't love it, find something that you love ."
When a man who recorded the highest-scoring triple-double in NBA history this season – 61 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists – and the league's first-ever 30-20-20 game says that, it's hard not to listen. But Jokic also had humble beginnings in the small Serbian club Mega. Far from the status of powerhouses like Partizan or Crvena Zvezda, Mega is currently the club with the most NBA draftees outside of the NCA, despite being founded just 26 years ago.
Some of today's biggest league stars found their way to the NBA through this Serbian club. Mega has produced 17 NBA Draft picks so far, with notable names like Ivica Zubac , Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Vasilije Micic, Goga Bitadze , and Nikola Jovic among them. Interestingly, most are centers or power forwards, heavily influenced by the late Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic.
This year's playoffs saw both Zubac and Jokic in the spotlight as the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets battled through seven epic games. Jokic delivered, but his shooting percentage dropped well below his usual average – credit goes to Zubac. In an exclusive interview with Basketball Network, Zubac reflected on Jokic's dominance:
"You know everything's going to go through him even more than usual, and that's seven games." Zubac recalled . "Honestly, it was really hard. In my opinion, he's the best player in the league, and every possession, every defensive play, you have to give 100 percent."
"He's very strong, so it's physically demanding. You go through defensive challenges that no other center usually faces. He handles the ball in pick-and-rolls, they set pindowns for him, flare screens, he plays in the post, works from the elbow, and even 1-on-1 from the free-throw line. You really face a million things that centers normally don't have to deal with."
Zubac continued by explaining how guarding Jokic changes everything. He plays like a guard, and defending him is a completely different ball game. You can't relax for even a second, as his mind immediately scans the floor, and his phenomenal hands punish any mistake.
The late Milojevic coached both of them, instilling the values of true old-school big men. Both came into the league with scouting reports claiming they weren't athletic enough, and yet now they're two of the best centers in the league – double-double machines, yet so different.
Those 17 NBA picks in just 26 years should be taken very seriously, and Jokic and Zubac are the best proof of that. Although Milojevic is sadly no longer among us, he left behind values that the club continues to follow, turning kids like Jokic, who just want to play basketball, into legitimate NBA players. So, let's keep an eye on Mega in the years to come.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
