Home Entertainment ‘The Biggest Defeat of My Career’ – Nikola Jokic admits regret as were very close to defeating Team USA at the Olympics

‘The Biggest Defeat of My Career’ – Nikola Jokic admits regret as were very close to defeating Team USA at the Olympics

Entertainment — 10/04/2024

As he enters the 10th season of his NBA career, Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has solidified himself as one of the game’s all-time greats. He is a three-time NBA MVP, a six-time All-NBA selection, a six-time All-Star, a one-time NBA champion, and a one-time Finals MVP.

Nikola Jokic admits Olympics loss to Team USA hurt him the most

Additionally, he is a multi-time Olympic medalist, representing Serbia. In 2016, he helped his team take home a silver medal. Earlier this year, however, Serbia earned a bronze medal.

On its own, winning a bronze medal in the Olympics is a notable achievement. However, Jokic and his team were very close to defeating Team USA, the eventual gold medalists, in the semi-finals, making a bronze medal seem less rewarding.

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In the semi-finals against Team USA, Jokic and Serbia held a 17-point lead and were up by 13 heading into the fourth quarter. If they held on, this would have been an incredible upset. However, Team USA stormed back in the fourth quarter, ultimately winning the game by a score of 95-91. Recently, Jokic opened up about the loss, calling it “probably the worst defeat of my career.”

“It was a good match. Probably the biggest defeat of my career. [We had a] big chance. In the end, they beat us. People from the stands will probably see it as a normal defeat, but for those who played, it was certainly one of the toughest defeats in our careers.”

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In the loss, Jokic recorded 17 points on 7-for-17 shooting, 11 assists, five rebounds, one steal, and one block.

Despite not finishing the upset in the Olympics, Jokic is still one of the best basketball players in the world. He is the reigning NBA MVP and led his team to their best record since the 2012-13 season. Additionally, Jokic is one year removed from leading the Nuggets to their first championship in franchise history.

As the start of the 2024-25 season approaches, the Nuggets remain one of the top teams in the Western Conference. Currently, the Nuggets (+1100) are tied with the Dallas Mavericks with the sixth-best odds to win the NBA Finals next year. Things could be much more difficult for the team this time around, however.

The Nuggets lost important role player Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Orlando Magic this summer. They also let go of Reggie Jackson, who is currently playing for the Philadelphia 76ers. Conversely, the Nuggets added Dario Saric and Russell Westbrook, a former NBA MVP. It will be intriguing to watch if their summer actions will help them return this year after they were unable to reach the NBA Finals the previous year.