Today, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets is one of the most vital players in the league, a future Hall of Famer, and arguably the best athlete in the NBA.
But there was a time when he was toying with the concept of hanging up his jersey for good.
According to DeMarcus Cousins, via Basketball Forever, Jokic thought about retiring from the league so he could go home and focus on other endeavors.
“When I was in Denver, our lockers were next to each other in the locker room. I don’t remember who had just signed an extension at the time, but I told him: ‘Your new contract is going to be insane!’ He told me: ‘Cuz, I might retire before that contract.’ I said: ‘You’re going to leave $300 million on the table? Are you crazy? Sign the contract and then get fat, become bad. Just don’t miss out on $300 million!’ Then he told me: ‘Cuz, I just want to go back to my hometown and chill with my horses.’ I told him: ‘Joke, those horses will be there. You’ll just buy more horses with $300 million,’” Cousins said.
DeMarcus Cousins said Nikola Jokić wanted to retire in 2022 before he signed his superman contract with the Nuggets
“When I was in Denver, our lockers were next to each other in the locker room. I don’t remember who had just signed an extension at the time, but I told him:… pic.twitter.com/lYmyPPP3nN
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) August 1, 2025
Obviously, that didn’t happen, which is nothing but good news for the Nuggets.
Instead, Jokic signed a massive contract with the Nuggets, helped them win a championship, and continued his dominance among all other players in the association.
He has made no secret of his desire to spend more time in his home country of Serbia.
He likes to be with his family, racing horses, and enjoying a slower pace.
At the same time, he also wants to see his team succeed and is obviously devoted to the Nuggets, even if he isn’t very animated about his love of playing basketball.
Cousins knew how much money Jokic could make by staying in the league, and he encouraged him to stay.
Thankfully, he did, which has helped cement his place in league history and helped his team achieve newfound levels of success.
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