All About Nikola Jokić’s Parents, Dad Branislav and Mom Nikolina

The parents of three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić, Branislav and Nikolina, raised their son modestly.

The Denver Nuggets center may be as famous for his modesty off the basketball court as he is for his dominance on it. He tries to avoid the spotlight and returns to his hometown of Sombor in Serbia to ride horses.

Nikolina’s interests and outlook on life were influenced by his parents Branislav and Nikolina while growing up in Sombor. After welcoming Nikola’s older brothers, Strahinja and Nemanja, Branislav and Nikolina gave birth to Nikola on February 19, 1995.

Branislav was an agricultural engineer and had a stud farm in Sombor, where he and Nikolina raised three boys in a small two-room apartment with their grandmother. During the 2023 NBA Finals — before leading the Nuggets to an NBA championship over the Miami Heat — Nikola spoke to reporters about how his family has supported his journey.

“My mom and dad always supported me [me], my dad especially. He always thought I could be something more,” he said at the press conference. “When I go to another city, my older brother took over that role and lived with me. Then we came to the United States, and then my brother Nemanja, who used to live here… we get together, and it’s a nice trip.”

The Jokić brothers: Everything you need to know about Nikola, Strahinja and Nemanja

While talking with his Nuggets teammate Michael Porter Jr. on his podcast Curious Mike In 2023, Nikola revealed that he hopes to live a normal life with his family after retirement.

“The way I want to see myself is being with my family, probably spending my days [with] my child … and spend the rest of the day with the horses,” Nikola said.

From their life in Sombor to supporting Nikola’s NBA career, here’s everything you need to know about Nikola Jokić’s parents, Branislav and Nikolina Jokić.

Branislav and Nikolina raised Nikola and his brothers in a two-room apartment in Serbia

Nikola Jokić and his brother as children.

Misko Ražnatović Instagram

Nikola has humble beginnings. He was raised by Branislav and Nikolina in a two-room apartment in Sombor — a small town in northern Serbia — with his two brothers and grandmother.

In 2016, Nikola wrote an essay for The Player’s Tribune about his life growing up in Serbia.

“Our apartment was really small. We had two rooms: kitchen, bathroom. It was mom, dad, me, my two brothers and my grandmother – Nikola said. “It was always a full house. My brothers also came – actually cousins, but in Serbia we call them brothers. It was always a full house of people, and we were always joking around. We were crazy kids. We made a lot of noise.”

Nikolina noticed Nikola’s interest in basketball when he was a baby

Nikola is perhaps the most famous basketball player in his family, but the first two sons of Nikolina and Branislav, Strahinj and Nemanja, also played basketball. Nikolina even noticed Nikolina’s attentiveness and interest in her brothers’ basketball when he was a baby.

“Yes, that’s how I fell in love with basketball. Mom said even before I could remember, when I still had a pacifier, I would just sit and watch [my brothers] game [basketball]”, Nikola told Denver Stiffs in 2016. “They were kids too, but I just loved how they moved. I would just sit there for hours and watch them.”

Branislav helped Nikola decide to play basketball professionally instead of horse racing

Branislav father of Nikola Jokić.

ANDREJ ISAKOVIĆ/AFP via Getty

According to Branislav, Nikola’s priorities in life are simple: basketball, horses and family. While Nikola’s older brothers started playing basketball at a young age, Nikola began to explore his passion for horses.

“He started to grow, both in height and size, and he started to realize that he could be a basketball player, but he had a big desire in those days,” Branislav told Ynetnews.com in June 2023. “He would say, ‘Dad, I want to become horseman.’ And I told him: ‘Son, first become a basketball player, and then you will be a great horseman’. ”

Branislav still supports Nikola’s love of horses and even named his horse stud — which features a black-and-white picture of Nikola being pulled by horses in Branislav’s office — after Nikola’s first horse: Dreamcatcher. When Nikola finishes his career, he plans to become a trotter trainer and realize his lifelong dream of working with horses.

“My dream is to return to Serbia and become a trotter coach,” Nikola told TV4 for Marca. “Unfortunately, my country is the worst in Europe in trotting. And there are maybe 150 starting horses and that is very complicated. But it’s still great fun.”

Nikola’s mom comes to visit and cook him meals in Denver

Nikola often talks about how much he misses home because the United States is culturally very different from Serbia.

“I’m homesick,” he told Bleacher Report in 2017. “I want to go home right now. I mean, I’m the third child and I’m a little closer to my parents than [my brothers] are.”

Since Nikola is far from home, his mother sometimes comes to visit and makes sure to cook one of her signature Serbian dishes.

Branislav is known as one of Nikola’s loudest fans, and he inspired his children to be like that as well

Nikola Jokić (15) from the Denver Nuggets celebrates the title of NBA champion with his brother Strahinja after defeating the Miami Heat 94-89 in 2023.

Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post/Getty

Nikola’s brothers, Strahinja and Nemanja, are known for their presence and loud cheering at Nuggets games. But it started with Branislav loudly cheering for Nikola and his brothers when they were growing up.

According to Nemanja, Branislav is still incredibly loud when cheering for his son.

“Our dad is really passionate about watching the games,” Nemanja told Bleacher Report in 2017 about his parents’ recent visit to Denver. “He’s screaming, yelling. No one is sitting around him.”

The grandparents of Nikola’s daughter are Ognjeni, whose name has a special meaning

Nikola Jokić kisses his daughter Ognjena on the cheek.

Justin Edmonds/Getty

In September 2021, Nikola and his wife Natalija had a daughter, Ognjena. While Ognjena’s name literally translates as “fiery”, her nickname has another meaning.

During an interview with Ynetnews.com in 2023, Branislav talked about how the name of Nikola’s daughter showed his growth as a person.

“I’ll tell you the story of Nikola… When he arrived in Denver, he had a Serbian player development coach, Ognjen Stojaković,” said Branislav. “Nikola didn’t like him because he made him work hard. When his daughter Nikola was born, he named her Ognjena. He understood what that coach did for him.”

Everything about Nikola Jokić’s daughter, Ognjeni

Branislav and Nikolina had to watch Nikola win the NBA championship in 2023 from Serbia

Branislav and Nikolina wanted to fly to Denver to watch Nikola win the Larry O’Brien trophy after winning the NBA championship in 2023. However, they had to stay home and take care of the horses in their barn.

“I didn’t go to the NBA finals because someone had to take care of all the horses here… At the beginning of the fifth game in the finals I was with my wife, but after that I was alone. He was too nervous,” Branislav told Ynetnews. “There are a lot of mixed emotions that he made every child’s dream.

Branislav also talked about how he was not only proud to see Nikola win on the field, but also how he behaved immediately after winning the championship.

“What was amazing was how he acted right after winning the championship (referring to his son going around high-fiving all the Miami players). Those qualities were always in him. Understanding of the defeated, empathy, humility,” continued Branislav. “He was always a good kid. When his daughter was born, it became even more obvious. His priorities are family, horses and basketball.”

Nikola plans to return to Serbia to be with his family when he retires

Nikola Jokić with his father Branislav Jokić at the hippodrome on June 18, 2023 in Sombor, Serbia.

Srđan Stevanović/Getty

Nikola may have experienced everything life has to offer for an NBA superstar in the United States, but whenever the season ends, he can’t wait to get back home to his family. After winning the 2023 NBA title, Nikola said his main focus was to get home in time for the horse races in Serbia.

“On Sundays I have my own horse races,” Nikola said NBA TV. “I don’t know how I will get there [in time] with Thursday [being] parade. Friday maybe? I’m going to ask [Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke] for the plane.”

In 2017, while talking to Bleacher Report about topics including how close he was to his family, Nikola told them he wanted to return home to Sombor after he retired.

After I finish my career, I will return there, said Nikola. “It’s super slow — not too much going on — but you’ve got everything. You’ve got the canal, nature; you can get peace outside the city. I just love being somewhere where I can drive a car without navigation. How can I say, there’s no place like home?

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Source: HIS Education