Nikola Jokic: From war-torn Serbia to NBA champion

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic added two more trophies to the cabinet on Monday, adding an NBA title and Finals MVP trophy to an already glittering career.

Jokic proved essential yet again for the Denver Nuggets in the decisive game of the NBA Finals, finishing with 28 points, 16 rebounds, and four assists.

In a fitting tribute to the late great Bill Russell, Jokic was awarded the first Bill Russell Finals MVP award since the Boston Celtic's legend passing in July 2022.

The two-time regular season MVP was the catalyst for Denver's success in the postseason, averaging 30 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists across 20 playoff contests this campaign.

Upon receiving his Finals MVP award, Jokic humbly said: "The job is done, we can go home now."

Here is a look at Nikola Jokic's turbulent life to get to the NBA.

It was humble beginnings for Nikola Jokic in the NBA, drafted number 42 overall in the 2014 draft, with his name famously called during a Taco Bell Commercial on the TV broadcast.

Before his Taco Bell commercial entrance to the NBA, Jokic did well to make it to the league, growing up in war-torn Serbia, where he remembers bombs being dropped when he was four.

According to the independent.co.uk, Jokic said: "I remember things like sirens, bomb shelters, always turning off the lights. We practically lived in the dark. Even at like 9 a.m., everything was turned off."

After becoming the MVP of the Adriatic League, Jokic joined Denver in 2015, struggling to find a role in the team behind center Jusuf Nurkic.

Jokic established a unique set of skills for a center, utilizing his playmaking and court vision to find teammates rather than demolishing the rim at every chance like Shaquille O'Neal.

Since becoming Denver's franchise player in 2018, Jokic has earned five All-Star selections, five All-NBA selections, two regular season MVPs, and a Finals MVP.

In this season's playoffs, Jokic surpassed NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain for the most triple-doubles in a single playoff run, securing ten in 20 games.

Two-time NBA champion Isiah Thomas told ESPN, "It puts him in the legendary category for what he's done statistically in the Finals."

Jokic joins Willis Reed as the only two players drafted in the second round to win the Finals MVP, and he is now one of 11 players to receive a Finals MVP and two regular season MVPs.

From a little chance of survival to being the best basketball player in the world, Nikola Jokic's story redefines imagination and shows anything is possible.