Nikola Jokic

BIOGRAPHY

Nikola Jokić was born on February 19, 1995, in Sombor, Serbia. He is a center in the NBA.

Jokić played youth basketball in Vojvodina Srbijagas, where he became a dominant figure and received interest from bigger teams. In the summer of 2012, Jokić signed a contract with Mega Vizura, although in the first season with the team he played mostly for their junior team in 2012–13. At the age of 17, he appeared in 5 games of the Serbian League and averaged 1.8 points and 2 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per game. In the 2013–14 season, he saw more minutes on the court for the senior team. Over 25 Adriatic League games, he averaged 11.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He also played 13 games with the team in the Serbian League and had similar production, averaging 10.9 points, 6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

Following the selection in the 2014 NBA draft and the departure of Ratko Varda, he became one of the team leaders in the 2014–15 season. In the first game of the Adriatic League, he led his team to a 103–98 win over MZT Skopje, by scoring 27 points and grabbing 15 rebounds for a total index rating of 44. He was named the MVP of Round 1. On November 3, he recorded 17 points, 12 rebounds and season-high 8 assists for a total index rating of 40, in a 90–84 victory over Zadar. For such performance, he was named the MVP of the Round 6. On February 7, he scored 27 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a 77–88 loss to Szolnoki Olaj. He was named the MVP of the Round for the third time in a season. For his performances over the month, he was named the MVP for February, having averaged 21.7 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. On March 21, he scored a season-high 28 points and added 15 rebounds to help his team win with 100–96 over Igokea. He was named the MVP of the Round 26, his fourth Round MVP award over the season. Even though Mega Leks finished in 10th place in the Adriatic League, Jokić became one the league's most valuable players. Over 24 games played, he averaged 15.4 points, league-leading 9.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, while leading the league with the index rating of 22. On March 26, he was officially named the Adriatic League regular season MVP. He was also named the ABA League Top Prospect for the 2014–15 season.