Given Nikola Jokic's unenthusiastic reaction to winning the NBA championship last year, casual fans of the NBA could mistake the Denver Nuggets superstar for being a chill guy. He's certainly more passionate on the court, though and that same level of energy has been exuded by brothers as his team's playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers continues. Most recently, one of Jokic's siblings ended up getting in a fight in the stands with another fan and, yes, there's a video.
After the Denver Nuggets' impressive comeback victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Monday night's Game 2 matchup, the clip of Nikola Jokic's brother, Strahinja, getting into it with a fan surfaced. Here's what we know about the situation and the game during which the incident occurred.
Nikola Jokic's Brother Hits Fan In The Stands
Shortly after the Denver Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in a buzzer-beating 101-99 victory, Strahinja Jokic was in no mood to celebrate, it seems. Check out the video, which shows him climbing down a row to meet another fan and striking him in the face with a closed fist:
@cgallegos67 ♬ original sound - Christian
Strahinja was quickly backed up by his other brother, Nemanja. The woman pulling at them is Nikola Jokic's wife, Natalija, who was seen holding their young daughter, Ognjena, in her other arm. While words were exchanged between the two men after the punch, it doesn't seem as though the incident escalated any further. It could've been worse but, based on the footage, I think nearby spectators would've preferred Strahinja take inspiration from Joel Embiid and give the fan his favorite WWE gesture instead.
Tensions Were High Following A Close Victory By The Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets' victory put them up two games to zero on the Los Angeles Lakers and, given the latter blew a sizable lead to lose this game, tensions were high. Suffice it to say, Anthony Davis' mic drop press conference can best represent the vibe of Lakers fans in the stadium:
Anthony Davis: "Jamal Murray made a shot." pic.twitter.com/jsiYMmSa8pApril 23, 2024
Personally, I'd looked forward to seeing jovial Lakers fans sing "You Are My Sunshine" to LeBron James, but it doesn't seem like that will be happening anytime soon. The LA-based team did about everything right to beat the Nuggets and were still unable to get it done. To be clear, we don't know exactly what set off the situation between Nikola Jokic's brother and the fan, but there's surely a possibility that the playoff game's outcome factored into it.
The NBA courtside is often more known for featuring a celebrity like Emma Stone waving to players and less about brawls. In a season that has shown the league take action against Draymond Green for violence on the court that even had Metta Sanford-Artest sharing his thoughts, one has to wonder if the league will take action against the Jokic brothers. I don't think it's unrealistic to believe they might be banned from at least one of the Nugget's upcoming games (if not the rest of the series) based on disciplinary action that's been handed down in the past.
The off-court drama might be more evidence, however, that people should stop scanning the 2024 TV schedule and spending more time locked into the NBA playoffs. It'd be an understatement to say that the first round has been loaded with some big matchups. And, with games on just about every night and no shortage of commentary from the likes of Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley, there's plenty of justification to spend evenings watching some of the best teams in the league compete for a chance to win the championship.
Nikola Jokic's Denver Nuggets next play the Los Angeles Lakers on TNT on Thursday at 10:00 p.m. ET. Surely, we'll know by that point if his brother, or brothers, have suffered any consequences for the viral scrap.
