Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets drives to the basket against Kevon Looney #5 of the Golden State Warriors at the Pepsi Center on February 13, 2017 in Denver, Colorado.
Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets drives to the basket against Kevon Looney #5 of the Golden State Warriors at the Pepsi Center on February 13, 2017 in Denver, Colorado.

Nikola Jokic is a professional Serbian basketball player who is currently signed with the Denver Nuggets as the team’s center player. The athlete was only 19 years old when he was drafted by the Nuggets as the 41st overall pick to join the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Jokic first became an NBA All-Star in 2016 when he helped the Nuggets get to the conference semi-finals. Standing at seven feet tall, the young basketball star proved to be a great center for the team as he outperformed most of the competition, according to Essentially Sports.

Jokic’s net worth is currently valued at around $30 million since signing with the Nuggets in 2014, as per Celebrity Net Worth. He signed a contract extension in 2018 that was worth an estimated $147 million at the time, and it's expected to last for five years.

In terms of tournament winnings, Jokic has earned more than $80 million from 2015 to 2021, about $29 million of which was from this season alone, Spotrac noted. The basketball player’s net worth also includes his earnings from endorsements, worth about $750,000. Currently, Jokic is sponsored by world-class footwear manufacturer Nike, Panini and Western Union.

In his early years in the sport, Jokic played for Mega Leks from 2012 to 2015 and represented his home country of Serbia in international competition. In 2018, he was named the Serbian Player of the Year. According to Forbes, the athlete also helped his country win silver medals at the under-19 World Championship in 2013 and Summer Olympics in 2016.

Jokic’s most recent achievement in the basketball scene was when he was chosen as the recipient of the 2020-21 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award. The athlete received the Maurice Podoloff Trophy for his performance, as per NBA. This marks Jokic’s first Kia NBA MVP Award, and he is the first Nuggets player to receive the recognition.

The achievement also makes Jokic the first Serbian player to become an NBA MVP, joining Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki and Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo as Europe’s MVP award holders. According to Essentially Sports, Jokic averaged 25.1 points, 11.4 rebounds and 10 assists per game in the 2020-21 season.

Main man: Denver's Nikola Jokic is the 2021 NBA regular season MVP

Main man: Denver's Nikola Jokic is the 2021 NBA regular season MVP Photo: GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Steph Chambers