Emotions ran high on Monday night in Denver, Colorado, as the Los Angeles Lakers and defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets played one of the best playoff games in league history.
The Nuggets displayed their grit and championship mettle overcoming a 20-point lead to win 101-99 on star guard Jamal Murray’s walk-off fadeaway jumper over Lakers star Anthony Davis.
While the intensity was certainly high on the courts, it seems that things also became pretty testy in the stands at Ball Arena.
That’s where the older brother (Strahinja) of Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic punched a fan. Things escalated to the point that Nikola’s wife and Strahinja’s sister-in-law had to help get him under control. The older Jokic brothers are adamant defenders and protectors of their younger superstar brother, but they gotta chill, someone is going to end up suing Nikola because of them.
It’s often the brothers of the star these days, who bring shame to the family name. Many have nothing to offer other than bloviating to reporters and being overly aggressive towards others to prove their worth. They often forget that they’re not the superstar.
Strahinja Jokic Should Be Banned From NBA Playoffs
November 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the Malice At The Palace.
The event, a brawl in which Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson ran into the crowd and punched fans during a game between the Pacers and Pistons. What resulted was a massive fracas in which players and fans threw punches, chairs, and sodas.
As with all incidents of this matter, the NBA is investigating and making sure they have all the details before revealing their next steps.
It’s clear that there should be some punishment for Strahinja because his brother is too important to the league for him to be fighting in the stands. That’s not really how we do it here and since Malice in the Palace, the NBA doesn’t want any instigators, especially family members of opposing players.
The League has to put its foot down and ban Joker’s brother from the remainder of the playoffs and possibly next season.
We all want aggressive basketball on the court. Even fights, that stay on the court. But we don’t need the crowds getting incited like we are at an international soccer game or an Las Vegas Raiders football game.
The Denver Police media relations unit, they issued the following statement on the matter.
“At this time, no one has come forward as a victim of this incident,” the email read. “The Department is looking into this incident, is actively working to identify the person in the video who was struck and encourages anyone who was involved or witnessed this firsthand to contact the Denver Police Department.”
The video clearly shows Jokic’s brother attacking another fan, but that fan has yet to come forward as the one who was struck. This isn’t the Jokic brothers’ first rodeo in heated encounters with other fans and even some players.
Jokic Brothers Are Trained To Go
While Nikola is the mild younger brother, his two older brothers served in the Serbian military, and have no problem engaging in fisticuffs.
In 2021 they created a Twitter account to trade verbal jabs with then Miami Heat forward Markieff Morris who got into it with Nikola during a game, and after he delivered a cheap shot the two-time MVP did the same, injuring Morris. While Morris threatened retaliation on sight when the two would meet again, Nikola’s brothers let it be known that they’d join in if necessary.
That never came to fruition as cooler heads prevailed. But the Jokic brothers’ wild moments at Nuggets games don’t stop there.
During last season Western Conference semifinals matchup against the Phoenix Suns, both brothers had to be restrained from running onto the court when Jokic got into it with Suns star Devin Booker.
This is who they are, and while they are their brother’s keeper, if they aren’t careful they’re gonna have their very rich baby brother coughing up some major dough in a lawsuit.
