Following a missed shot at the end of the second quarter, Nikol Jokic expressed his frustration towards the referee, Mousa Dagher.
Jokic was seeking a foul call that was not given to him. According to witnesses on the baseline, it was reported to ESPN that Jokic exclaimed, “Call the fu**ing foul,” directed at the referee.
Nikola Jokic was EJECTED from the game after arguing for this no-call pic.twitter.com/4o2VcadPsM
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) December 13, 2023
As a consequence of his outburst, Jokic was ejected from game. This outcome surprised him, even though he acknowledged that he may had “crossed a line” with his choice of words.
However, Jokic also noted that the referees’ response was not consistent, stating, “Sometimes it’s not even a technical foul. But it is what it is.”
Interestingly, a significant number of fans in Chicago expressed their disapproval when Jokic was ejected from the game. Many spectators had attended the match specifically to watch Jokic play, partly due to the sizable Serbian-speaking community in Chicago, which happens to be the largest Serbian emigrant community in the world, and mostly, because the Bulls celebrated Serbian heritage night.
Jokic also revealed that he was glad the game wasn’t played in Serbia, while keeping additional thoughts to himself, because he didn’t want to get fined.
“I do not know [what happened there]. It is what it is. I am just happy that we did not play in Serbia this game. It could have been really funny to see how it would be handled. It was interesting. Some guys can say whatever. I think sometimes what I say is not even a technical foul. It is what it is. No, I crossed the line, but sometimes that word does not cross the line. I like my money, so I am not gonna say… whatever.”
“It is what it is … some guys can say whatever.” – Jokić#MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/SIdcP880Rr
— AltitudeTV (@AltitudeTV) December 13, 2023
