For the brothers Nemanja, Strahinja, and Nikola Jokić, basketball is a family affair.

The three boys were reared by their father, Branislav Jokić, and his spouse in Sombor, Serbia, the family’s homeland. The boys’ father worked as an agricultural engineer, and they were raised to put family first.

Nikola was chosen by the Denver Nuggets in the 2014 NBA Draft, and he became a member of the team the following year. Throughout his professional basketball career, he has won multiple awards, including the 2023 NBA Championship, two NBA MVP Awards, the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award, and five trips to the NBA All-Star Game.

While addressing reporters on juggling work and family at the 2023 NBA Finals, Nikola stated, “Basketball is not the main thing in my life and probably never going to be.” “And, to be completely honest, I enjoy it because, at home, there are more important things than basketball.”

Here is everything you need to know about Nikola, Strahinja, and Nemanja Jokić, from their early years spent in Serbia to their significant relocation to the United States for Nikola’s NBA career.

They grew up together in Serbia

The Jokić boys grew up in a modest Sombor apartment with their parents and grandmother, and they also frequently welcomed visits from other family members.

In an essay for The Players’ Tribune, Nikola recounted, “It was my mom, dad, me, my two brothers, and my grandma.” “The house was always packed. My brothers, who are actually cousins but are referred to as brothers in Serbia, also visited. We would frequently get into mischief, and the home would constantly be packed. We were wild children. We had a lot of noise going on.”

Nikola talked about his competitive connection with his older brothers, especially Strahinja, in an interview with Sports Illustrated. “He once held down my arms and threw knives all around my head,” Nikola recalled. “That was a little crazy.”

Each of them pursued a basketball career.

It wasn’t Nikola’s first brother to play basketball professionally. He actually inherited his love of the game from his elder brothers.

Before retiring, Strahinja played basketball professionally in Serbia for a number of different teams. Nemanja attended the University of Detroit Mercy, where he played, before moving to Long Island University’s C.W. Post Campus. Before going back to play in Serbia, he spent a season in the Premier Basketball League with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Steamers, according to Slam magazine.

In a 2016 column for The Players’ Tribune, Nikola reminisced, “When I was a kid, I just watched my brothers.” “They also engage in basketball. In our hometown, there were outdoor courts. When I was a baby and had a pacifier, I used to watch them play on those courts. I combined a small amount of the two. One has skill; the other is extremely powerful. I possess a small amount of talent and strength.”

He mentioned that the family’s downstairs neighbors were not amused by the little basketball hoop they had in their apartment.

Nikola’s brothers and parents support him at his games

Strahinja and Nemanja, who are infamous for their boisterous behavior during games, are probably in the stands with Denver Nuggets supporters. A tenseness that supposedly runs in the family is evident when Strahinja adjusts seats to sit apart and punches chairs during close games. When their parents visit, they are equally ardent admirers.

Nemanja told Bleacher Report, “Our dad is really passionate about watching the games.” He yells and screams. Around him, no one sits.

Nikola discussed his family’s unwavering support for him throughout his life in a 2023 NBA Finals press conference. “My dad in particular was always there to support me, along with my mom. He told reporters, “He always believed that I could be much more. “My elder brother moved in with me and assumed that role when I moved to the other city. After that, we traveled to the United States, where my brother Nemanja, who had previously resided here, met us. It was a pleasant trip overall.”

The siblings use social media.

Nemanja and Strahinja have a joint Jokić Brothers account on X, which was once Twitter. They have discussed their opinions on the game and even engaged in some smack talk throughout the years.

However, Nikola removed his social media accounts a number of years ago. He stated, “I think it’s a waste of time,” in footage from a 2023 postgame interview that HoopsHype released.

Nikola and Strahinja helped turn Nemanja’s life around

Nemanja told SI in 2017 that he had a difficult beginning to his basketball career.

“I made mistakes,” Nemanja said. I didn’t prioritize basketball when I was younger. My top priority was going out, having fun, drinking, and hanging out with girls. I was on my own, saying to myself, “I’m not going to practice,” even though I still required family assistance. What I was lacking was that.”

Nikola’s brothers relocated to Denver alongside him when he signed a contract with the Nuggets in 2015. Nemanja and Strahinja wanted to provide their youngest brother with the assistance they desired in their own jobs, even though Nemanja was sure that his younger brother wouldn’t make the same mistakes that he made.

Nemanja told the magazine, “He’s an intelligent guy, and I’m confident he wouldn’t get off track here.” But since this is such a crucial moment, I want him to receive the same level of assistance that I did not. ‘You’re living my dream,’ I tell him every time. Never assume it to be true. Don’t commit the same errors we did.”

The brothers are avid fans of many sports.

Nemanja played basketball before deciding to become an MMA fighter. Marca claims that he prevailed via technical knockout in his debut match.Nemanja went undefeated in his three professional fights, according to an ESPN story from 2023. In addition, he has participated in amateur Muay Thai competitions; in the Sparta Combat League: Army vs. Marines event in 2021, he emerged victorious over William Vandervier.

In an interview with Agence France-Presse in 2019, their father Branislav discussed Nikola’s love of horse racing, which he “inherited” from his father. According to France 24, the Jokić family runs a small stable where some of its horses participate in harness racing.

In 2016, Nikola said to Slam, “At some point in my life, I started to go into horse racing.” “The beauty and elegance of horses have truly captured my heart. For me, it was much more like a pastime. I didn’t take it seriously.

Before going to school, Nikola and his brothers used to clean the stables. The family likes to ride around the track and watch races these days.

When Nikola talked to Bleacher Report about getting his first horse, Dream Catcher, he quipped, “I bought a friend.” “He doesn’t talk, but you know we can talk?” In addition, he declared that he would be employed as a stable boy if he weren’t playing basketball.

The brothers are uncles to Nikola’s daughter

In September 2021, Nikola and his spouse, Natalija Jokić, welcomed their daughter, Ognjena Jokić. When her father’s team defeated the Miami Heat to win the 2023 NBA Championship, she was in the stands supporting her father alongside her mother and uncles. She has taken her family to games on a regular basis.

“I believe that everyone with a spouse and children ought to be content with the people in their lives,” Nikola said in an interview with Arena Sport. “When you have a normal life, it lifts you up and only helps you.”

Strahinja and Nemanja went viral for their confrontation with the Morris brothers

The Morris brothers, who were players for the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers, tweeted occasionally, so in 2021, Strahinja and Nemanja set up a Twitter account specifically to reply to their messages. In an NBA game between the Nuggets and the Heat, Nikola was hard-flighted by Markieff Morris. The two squads then got into a fight on the court when Nikola shoved Markieff in the back. Due to his involvement in the altercation, Markieff was fined $50,000, and Nikola received a one-game suspension. According to the Associated Press, Markieff also suffered whiplash from the shove and was out for four months.

Nemanja and Strahinja made an account in order to reply to Marcus. “Rather than threatening our brother in public, you ought to just leave things as they are! They stated in a since-deleted tweet, “Your brother made a dirty play first.” “You can be sure we’ll be waiting for you if you want to go one step further!”