Nikola Jokic is as gentle a giant as they come.
He’d rather hang out with a bunch of like-minded kids eight days a week than do something serious, which made his interactions on Tuesday with around 130 Special Olympians such a treasure. For the first time since the pandemic, the Nuggets were able to continue their tradition of hosting a basketball clinic on the main court at Ball Arena.
While Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. manned the shooting station, and Nuggets coach Michael Malone oversaw the dribbling portion, Jokic imparted his wisdom by honing the participants’ passing skills. Whatever they wanted, he indulged.
He sat, legs splayed on the court, and rolled the ball to one of his passing partners. To another proficient passing pair, he encouraged them to see if they could bounce it a certain number of times before it reached their partner. When he found a gifted passer, he pushed a little further and asked how comfortable they were at dribbling. When the camper strung together an impressive sequence, Jokic built him up, screaming out “whoa, whoa!” at the performance.
More Joker magic.
— Mike Singer (@msinger)
In typical Jokic fashion, he engaged with every child or parent who approached him.
“I love to be around them,” Jokic said following Wednesday’s practice before the Nuggets flew to Oklahoma City for Thursday’s game. “They have a special energy.”
Each person who interacted with Jokic left with a little gift. When a mom asked him to take a group photo, he wandered over to the other side of the court to get as many people in the picture as possible. Before a wheel-chair bound passer left his passing station, he told the little girl, “You might be the best passer, probably ever!”
“I love to do those things,” he said. “Just to see the smiles, the reactions. It’s a great thing. The whole team and NBA needs to do that more.”
Ironically, after Jokic was asked about the Special Olympian event, he detailed how rote life in the NBA can get.
“We travel, you go to dinner, wake up, weight room, shootaround, nap, game, travel, wake up, shootaround,” Jokic said. “Thatap it.”
Now in his eighth season, he said the routine had become boring. It wasn’t hard to connect the dots; events like Tuesday’s help rejuvenate the biggest kid in Denver.
Occasionally incensed on the sidelines and sometimes short with reporters after an underwhelming practice, even Malone couldn’t help but get lost in the fun of the afternoon.
“Yesterday is perspective,” said Malone, who revealed that when the team heads to Memphis this year, he planned to bring the players to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
Malone applauded as one of the campers breezed through the dribbling drill, then later, bent down to greet a camper he knew by name.
Next time you see Michael Malone get a tech, just remember, he’s really a softy.
This is one of his favorite campers.
— Mike Singer (@msinger)
Given the context, no amount of recent defensive lapses or road woes could intrude on a fantastic afternoon that saw the Nuggets’ entire roster, coaches and staffers engage with the Special Olympians.
“So, yeah, are you (ticked) off, we didn’t play good defense in L.A., we’re 4-3, and then you go to the Special Olympics and spend some time with amazing boys and girls, men and women, and it hits you in the heart,” Malone said. “Any time you have a chance to give somebody your time, the most valuable commodity there is, to give them your time, your attention, your love, to bring a smile to a face, thatap invaluable. Thatap life, thatap big picture.”
