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Before Nikola Jokic became the established NBA superstar he is today, he was once nothing but a small name on a chyron beneath a Taco Bell Quesarito commercial during the 2014 NBA draft.
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12 years ago today, we watched a Taco Bell commercial for the Quesarito while future 3x MVP Nikola Jokic was drafted 41st by the Denver Nuggets. pic.twitter.com/ivXO7kMii1
– Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) June 26, 2026
The heights he would reach were still unknown, with the NBA championship, the Finals MVP and the MVP awards still many years away. Jokic was even sleeping when the Denver Nuggets selected him with the 41st overall pick.
Over a decade later, he would wake up to a new reality, marked by extraordinary levels of fame, wealth and recognition. Now, on the “Jao Mile” podcast, Jokic said he only wishes he could have some of the peace he had before his rise to superstardom.
“I miss it so much,” he said. “I’m getting more and more bothered by popularity.”
Jokic is becoming less patient
Since his breakout 2018-2019 season, Jokic has established himself as one of the league’s most unique talents. More importantly, his rise helped transform the Nuggets into a legitimate contender in the Western Conference for years to come, while building his resume and breaking NBA records in the process.
But beneath all that greatness, Jokic views basketball as his nine-to-five job. Don’t get it twisted: that does not mean he loves the sport any less. His work ethic, which dates back to his rookie year and has remained consistent throughout his career, tells a different story. According to him, he spends 295 out of every 300 days in the gym.
That’s why the last thing he wants after the final buzzer is for the attention surrounding his career to follow him into his personal life. He is a private person who has built his life around his family, including his wife, Natalija and their two children. When he is back home in his hometown, Sombor, Serbia, he wants to spend as much quality time as he can with them.
But as his fame continues to grow, keeping his private life and his superstar status has become increasingly difficult. Over the past decade, fans have approached him for pictures and autographs, and now the constant attention has finally worn him down.
“This is going to sound corny, but I’m getting ruder to people who approach me,” he said. “Honestly, it’s tiring.”
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Jokic hopes to disappear from the spotlight after his career
Currently, Jokic is 31 years old. Most NBA players leave the league or retire in their mid-30s. Fortunately for Jokic, his timeless play style, which relies heavily on skill and IQ rather than speed and athleticism, combined with today’s advances in sports medicine, could extend his career well into his late 30s.
Once he decides to hang it all up, Jokic will surely have a Hall of Fame-caliber career, with already one championship, one Finals MVP, three MVPs, eight All-Star selections and eight All-NBA nods under his belt.
With retirement also comes an end to his battle with his overwhelming popularity, something he has long struggled to embrace even now that he is entering his 12th year in the NBA.
“I really don’t like this life because, at the end of the day, we are just basketball players,” he
“I really, when I finish my career, I really wish nobody knows me.
That wish will most likely be impossible, considering the mark he has already left on the game. Perhaps Jokic will be able to disappear from the spotlight after retirement by staying in his sanctuary in Sombor and miles away from America, where his NBA fame began.
For now, all he can do is look back on the peace and privacy he had before that fame found him, even when that meant sleeping through the draft night that changed his life forever.
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