Nikola Jokic Could Barely Contain His Excitement After Being Gifted A Horse Head Made Out Of His Shoes

Matthew Stockman. Getty Images.

I'm sure there are some out there that may be growing tired of the whole "Nikola Jokic loves horses more than you love anything in your life" stuff, but not me. I can't get enough of it every time it pops up each offseason. There's just something so innocent and genuine about it that it's a "bit" that will never grow old for me. Win the NBA title? The first thing on his mind is convincing the Nuggets owner to let him borrow their jet so he can make it home in time for his horse's race. Win the MVP? Accept the trophy while at the horse stables

I'd never suggest that Jokic doesn't care about basketball, I feel like that gets said a lot and couldn't be further from the truth. Jokic is one of the most competitive players we have in the entire league, he just doesn't give a shit about all the bullshit that comes with the NBA. He cares about winning, and the second he's done at his job he moves on to his true love/passion. That's no different from any of us who do our favorite things once we get out of work. Maybe that's gaming, maybe that's working out (lolllllll), maybe that's cooking. For Jokic, it's horses. 

What I will say when it comes to Jokic is that anything related to horses may bring more joy to Jokic than anything basketball related. I think that's fair to say. He cares about basketball, but nothing makes him happier than his horses. His reactions when they win a race brings out a side of him we definitely did not see even when the Nuggets won the title. That's how you know they are his true love.

Another great example? Just look at how he responded to receiving a horse head that was made out of his shoes while on a media tour in China

I mean, look at that smile!

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Now compare it to the picture at the top of the blog from his most recent MVP, and you tell me which one brings Jokic more joy?

Honestly, I don't blame him. That horse head is wildly impressive. I'm not even sure how you do something like that, but I'm pretty sure they nailed it. That's a horse head like you read about. The MVP trophy? Meh. I think it kind of stinks. Is that controversial? I know it's the Michael Jordan Trophy and you're basically committing treason if you suggest anything MJ-related isn't awesome, but it just doesn't really do it for me. Maybe I'm just too much of an "old", but give me the old one every day of the week and twice on Sundays 

David Liam Kyle. Getty Images.

But back to Jokic. Outside of his championship summer, this has to be one of the best offseasons of his life. Not only has he already witnessed his horse winning a race

But in terms of the basketball roster, this is arguably the most talented group of the Jokic Era. At the very least, it rivals their 2023 Champion squad. They added shooting, they added better bench depth, they finally addressed back up center for the non-Jokic minutes. What more could Jokic ask for? Not only that, but he's a season away from signing a $300M extension.

Add in getting a sweet horse head gift, and I imagine Jokic is on Cloud 9 right now. How could he not be? 

As a reminder, that should terrify everyone. If not for Aaron Gordon and MPJ's injuries, there's a good chance the Nuggets of last year take out the eventual Champs in OKC. Now their roster has improved and Jokic is happy. Do I need to remind you how devastating of a player he is? Fine, I will

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Now imagine a guy who gets to look at that horse head at his house before heading to the arena every night. We may very well be about to see the best version of Jokic to date, which my brain can't even really comprehend, considering he just put up a 29.6/12.7/10.2 season on 57/41% splits in 70 games last year. How much better can he even be?

Something tells me we're about to find out.