Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has always been somewhat reluctant to engage with the media. This trait has been on full display during the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Jokic has maintained a strict media hiatus. The reason behind this, as revealed by his Serbian teammate Bogdan Bogdanovic, is both amusing and unsurprising.
Bogdanovic, who has been a close friend and teammate of Jokic for years, shared the light-hearted reason behind Jokic’s media silence.
“He’s great, but he only likes to talk to me, you know that,” Bogdanovic said with a chuckle. “In the NBA, if he doesn’t talk to media, he’ll get fined. But here (in the Olympics), there are no fines. So he says, ‘I don’t need to.’ No offense to you guys”.
Serbia’s Bogdan Bogdanovic on why teammate Nikola Jokic hasn’t talked with the media at the Olympics: “He’s great, but he only likes to talk to me, you know that. In the NBA, if he doesn’t talk to media, he’ll get fined. But here (in the Olympics), there are no fines. So he says,…
— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) August 6, 2024
Jokic’s aversion to media interactions is well-documented. Throughout his NBA career, he has often expressed his discomfort with the constant scrutiny and questions from reporters. However, the relaxed media rules at the Olympics have given him the perfect opportunity to avoid the part of his job he dislikes the most. Unlike the NBA, where players are required to speak to the media or face fines, the Olympics do not impose such penalties. This has allowed Jokic to focus solely on his performance on the court without the added pressure of media obligations.
