Thanksgiving week brought the usual slate of media questions, but Nikola Jokic wasn’t exactly in the mood for holiday sentiment.
The Denver Nuggets sit third in the Western Conference early in the 2025 season, yet the Nuggets‘ center didn’t seem to have much to say when reporters tossed him a softball about the holiday.
Someone asked what he had to be thankful for this year. Jokic paused, frowned a bit, then let out a line that immediately made the rounds online.
“What am I thankful for? Oh my god,” Jokic said, rubbing his face before the clip cut off entirely.
Social media quickly filled up with reactions, most of them laughing because they related a bit too much.
One user joked that Jokic hates “everything except horses”, as another user simply posted a GIF of a galloping horse.
Someone else wrote: “Jokic is us at thanksgiving dinner attempting to answer third cousins small talk.”
Another piled on with: “Jokic‘s face is my reaction to every small talk question on Thanksgiving.”
“Same energy as when Aunt Karen asks about your love life,” someone else joked
Another fan claimed: “This man does not care about an American holiday.”
The horse jokes refer to Jokic‘s famed love of horses in his home country of Serbia.
His godfather and offseason trainer, Nebojsa Vagic, summed it up plainly:
“The horses are where he’s happiest,” Vagic said. “With horse racing, he has so many emotions. He’s passionate about it. With basketball, he’s a disciplined animal…. Horse racing is different. He heals himself with horse racing.”
A light moment in the middle of another MVP-caliber season
As funny as the clip was, Jokic‘s play this year has been a whole different conversation. He’s averaging 29.6 points on 62.6 percent shooting, along with 12.8 rebounds and a league-best 11.1 assists.
In a recent win over the Memphis Grizzlies, for example, Jokic posted 17 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds, his 10th tripledouble of the season.
Despite his modest scoring, he played the “playmaker first” role to perfection, orchestrating the offense with masterful court vision.
The Nuggets remain close behind the Lakers, with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder sitting on top of the conference.
Whether Jokic actually celebrates Thanksgiving or treats it like any other day, he’ll have a brief chance to unwind before Denver jumps right back into action.
The Nuggets return on Black Friday to face the San Antonio Spurs in the group stage of the NBA Cup.
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