Nikola Jokic is one of the best players in the NBA and the likely 2023-24 MVP. (Image: Getty)
Nikola Jokic is one of the best basketball players in the NBA and has cemented himself as one of the best big men of all time, helping the Denver Nuggets win their first NBA championship. Jokic has gone a long way from being a shy kid from Serbia to being universally known as one of the most influential players in the league.
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And throughout his journey from Sombor to the United States, there has been one constant: His longtime partner Natalija. But who is Natalija and how did she come to meet the 6-foot-11 star center of the Nuggets?
According to Natalija's Instagram page, it appears as if the two have known each other for more than a decade, with her sharing a photo taken of them in October 2012. At the time the photo was taken, the two were 17 years old and enjoying each other's company in Europe.
In 2013, Natalija went to play volleyball at Seminole State College in Oklahoma. Initially, Nikola declined an offer to play for the Nuggets in 2014, but because Natalija was in the United States, the big man decided to try his luck in Denver.
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Nikola Jokic has known his wife since the two were teenagers (Image: Getty)
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With Nikola in Denver, Natalija left Seminole State and joined him in Colorado to finish her education at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She received a Master's degree in psychology from MSU Denver in 2018 and has been practicing since getting her degree.
After dating for almost a decade, Nikola and Natalija were engaged in January 2020. The two originally planned to have their wedding in June the same year, however the Coronavirus pandemic forced the two love birds to postpone the date by a handful of months.
Eventually, the two were married on Oct. 24, 2020, with Natalija sharing numerous photos of their wedding on her personal social media accounts. Naturally, the wedding was in Sombor - both Nikola and Natalija's hometown - which goes to show just how much the city means to both of them.
Nikola Jokic frequently tied his wedding band on his sneakers (Image: Getty)
As a testament to the relationship, Nikola was often spotted playing with a wedding ring, not around his finger but on his sneakers. The star center would often tie his wedding ring on the top lace of whatever sneaker he was playing in, showing that Natalija is always by his side, regardless of where he was playing at any given night.
What's more, Nikola and Natalija welcomed their first child in September 2021. His daughter Ognjena, which means "fiery" in Serbian, and Natalija frequently are seen at Nuggets games, supporting the star as he continues to lead Denver every season.
The two were also seen when Nikola and the Nuggets won their first NBA Championship after the 2022-23 season. Of note, the win helped cement Nikola as one of the best centers in recent league history.
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With the 2024 NBA playoffs tipping off, Nikola is once again at the forefront as he attempts to lead the Nuggets to a second consecutive championship. Many pundits consider Denver the team by virtue of the Nuggets being the reigning champions and the fact that Nikola arguably is the best player in the NBA.
Regardless of how the playoffs go for Nikola and the Nuggets, he will be supported by Natalija and Ognjena as he leads Denver to the ultimate prize once again. Even if the Nuggets fail to win a championship, Nikola has staked his claim as the player each team has to gameplan for.
From Sombor to Denver, Nikola has gone a long way in his career. And Natalija was there almost every step of the way.
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