Nikola Joki? was born in Sombor, Serbia, on February 19, 1995. He never went to college, so he played in the Serbian League at the age of 17, although with less playing time. 

Joki? was drafted by the Denver Nuggets at the age of 19 in the 2015-16 season of the NBA. The 7-feet-tall centre was picked as the 41st overall pick. 

Joki? is known for his dominance in every aspect of the game, which is why he is the first player in NBA history to complete 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 500 assists in a single season. Joki? became the 12th player to win the MVP award two times in a row and only the sixth centre player to win it twice. His other achievements include:

• 2× MVP of the year (2021, 2022)
• 4× NBA All-Star (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
• 3× All-NBA First Team (2019, 2021, 2022)
• All-NBA Second Team (2020)
• NBA All-Rookie First Team (2016)
• 2× Serbian Player of the Year (2018, 2021)
• Adriatic League MVP (2015)
• ABA League Top Prospect (2015)

Also Read – Top 20 best NBA players of the 2021-22 season

Net worth

Joki? currently has a reported net worth of US$30 million. He signed his contract with the Nuggets in 2014 at the rookie level. After his amazing 2018-19 season, where the league finally started to recognise his talents, he made it to the NBA All-Star. 

Joki? then signed a contract extension in 2018, which reportedly earns him around US$147 million. The Denver Nuggets superstar is likely to stay with them for most of his career as they aim to build a team around him to reach greater heights in the league; he’s expected to sign a supermax extension deal. ‘The Joker’ is said to be making US$750,000 per year from endorsements, which might rise significantly after his performance in recent years.

Endorsements

Nikola Joki? has recently become the face of the NBA after his back-to-back MVP awards. His comeback story starts with his Draft in 2014, where the 41st overall pick was drafted during a Taco Bell commercial. He entered the NBA as a 19-year-old. Before that, he played in Serbia, and hence was not recognised by the brands as a possible marketing opportunity. After a few years in the NBA, however, he has gone on to endorse a lot of big-name brands, with Nike as his first endorsement. He later added Panini America and Western Union to his portfolio as well.  

Some of Nikola’s endorsement deals include:

Nike

Joki?’s first endorsement deal was with Nike. No details about the deal have been released, but it’s said to be his biggest. Joki? wears Nike Air Zoom GT for his games as part of the deal and is expected to announce his signature shoe in the coming years.

Panini America

Panini America has been a part of the NBA since 2009, with the former having partnered with the latter to acquire rights to produce NBA-themed trading cards. 

Panini America signed with Nikola Joki? in 2015, which gives the company rights to his merchandise, which is quite popular with fans and card collectors. The first card released was “2015 Donruss The Rookies Nikola Jokic Rookie Card #43 RC”, the most famous Joki? card coming from his record-breaking 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 500 assists season.

SoccerBet

Joki? was seen with another Serbian NBA player Boban Marjanovi? in a sports betting commercial of SoccerBet in 2020. The commercial featured a head-to-head competition between the two Serbia internationals, where they played sports like snooker, football, boxing, etc. 

Jalen

Nikola Joki? appeared in a Serbian alcohol commercial in 2021 as the main attraction after his MVP award. The money paid by the pale lager beer brand Jalen to Nikola is still unknown.