Nikola Jokic announces he won’t play for Serbian national team at Olympics
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic introduced Wednesday he would not be available for the Serbian nationwide staff in the impending Olympics mainly because of the toll this past calendar year of basketball has taken on him.
“With my wonderful regret, this is the instant when I have to announce that even with my wonderful drive, I am not capable to engage in for the nationwide staff,” Jokic advised Serbian information company Tanjug. “Simply, the situation of my entire body needs a lengthier absence from the courtroom for restoration.”
In the aftermath of the Nuggets Match 4 reduction to Phoenix on Sunday, staff officers expressed issue about Jokic most likely participating in in the Olympics, a league supply claimed. The Nuggets would’ve supported his conclusion irrespective, but were being involved about how much basketball he’d performed in the past calendar year. Since August 1st of final year, Jokic had performed in 109 of a doable 109 online games.
He finished this year third in whole minutes in the NBA at 2,488. By the conclusion of Denver’s 2nd-spherical sequence from Phoenix, Jokic was drained. In Match three, he performed 40 minutes and attained statistical marks only ever achieved by Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
And that historic night came numerous times after Nuggets coach Michael Malone described him as “physically and mentally exhausted” at the team’s MVP information meeting.
Jokic, who is again household in Serbia subsequent the Nuggets’ year-ending defeat, will get a total offseason for the initial time due to the fact 2018.
