Strahinja Jokic has pleaded not guilty to an assault charge stemming from a fight with a fan at a Denver Nuggets game last April, according to multiple reports.
Strahinja, the older brother of NBA star Nikola Jokic, pleaded not guilty on Monday, January 6 and has another trial scheduled for March with a chance his case could go to trial in April, according to local 9News.
TMZ reported that the NBA star’s older brother appeared in a Denver County courtroom on Monday to plead not guilty after being charged with misdemeanor assault. The altercation occurred during the Nuggets’ playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Ball Arena on April 22.
Before the incident, Strahinja often attended his brother’s NBA games, and after the game he celebrated the Nuggets NBA Championship 2023 with Nikola on the court. Nikola has two older brothers, Strahinja and Nemanja, who were also former professional basketball players in their native Serbia.
Police are investigating an incident in which Nikola Jokic’s brother allegedly punched another fan at a Nuggets game
Nikola Jokić and Strahinja Jokić.
Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty
Video of the April 2024 incident went viral shortly after it happened, first shared by TMZ. The video appears to show Strahinja climbing over a row of seats before punching another fan with his right fist, sending the other fan staggering backwards for a moment. It seems that Strahinja continues to shout in the direction of the man as he walks away.
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The Denver Police Department told PEOPLE at the time that the fan initially did not come forward in connection with the charges. However, 9News reports that the fan told police at the time that he didn’t want to press charges for fear of retaliation, but later changed his mind in early May after seeing a doctor and being diagnosed with a concussion.
The Jokić brothers: Everything you need to know about Nikola, Strahinja and Nemanja
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Strahinja Jokić.
AAron Ontiveros/The Denver Post
Media reports that police said the victim had “obvious cuts and bruises” near his left eye when they spoke to him about the fight and that he told police the incident with Stahinja was “unprovoked.” When Strahinja was interrogated by the police and issued a subpoena, the NBA star’s older brother said he was “defending an older man he has known for a long time.”
9News reported that Strahinja’s next court appearance is scheduled for March 17, before a potential trial begins a month later.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education