Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic lifted his team to the 2023 NBA Finals after defeating LeBron James and the LA Lakers in the Western Conference Finals on May 22. Nikola, nicknamed ‘The Joker’, was so impressive in his gameplay, LeBron couldn’t help but sing his praises after the heartbreaking loss. “I know how great Joker is,” the Trainwreck star told reporters, per Sports Illustrated. “There are certain guys in this league that play the game a certain way, a certain way that I like to play the game as well, and he’s one of them. He’s special.”
Confetti showers Nikola Jokic and his daughter as the Nuggets win the NBA Championship! pic.twitter.com/Bl4nQZZdy8
— NBA (@NBA) June 13, 2023
Most recently, the 28-year-old made history on Jun. 12, 2023, after he led his team to their first NBA Championship win. The official Twitter for the NBA shared a sweet video of Nikola with his daughter, Ognjena, celebrating the historic win that night. In the clip, the proud dad cradled his little one as she playfully grabbed the falling confetti from the air.
With the support of an NBA icon like LeBron, Nikola is clearly the real deal. In his personal life, the Serbian superstar is a huge success as well. He’s been married to his high school sweetheart, Natalija Jokic, since 2020 and they share one adorable daughter. Let’s learn amore about Ognjena, below.
The couple started their incredible love story way back as teenagers in high school, according to PEOPLE. In Nov. 2020, Natalija took to her Instagram to share a throwback snap of her engagement to Nikola. “january 2020,” she captioned the selfie. They would go on to tie the knot in October 2020. Shortly after Nikola and Natalija walked down the aisle, they expanded their family. In September 2021, the couple welcomed Ognjena Jokic.
The couple had kept Ognjena’s birth a bit of a secret, as Natalija shared a photo of herself with a baby bump three months after the baby girl arrived. “Thank you 2021, you were my favorite so far,” the blonde beauty captioned the pic of her pregnant belly. In May 2022, Natalija shared the first photo of their daughter via Instagram (above). In it, proud papa and momma are all smiles, as their little one reaches out to touch her dad’s “Most Valuable Player” award.
Aside from LeBron, Nikola’s daughter appears to be his biggest supporter. After the Nuggets defeated the Phoenix Suns 97-87 on May 1, the two-time NBA MVP began walking off the court when he looked towards his wife and daughter in the stands. After Nikola waved towards his family, Ognjena made an adorable gesture. She looked like she was pointing to her ring finger, in what appeared to be a reference to her dad chasing his first-ever league championship. As he made his way into the locker room, Nikola reciprocated the move from his adorable offspring and made the gesture back! It was way too cute. Watch it in all its glory here.
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