Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets will look to win the franchise’s first championship at home on Monday night, as they hold a 3-1 Finals lead on the Miami Heat entering Game 5.
Jokic has been nothing short of sensational this postseason, putting to rest questions about his playoff bonafides after his back-to-back MVP seasons, and a championship will secure his place in Denver franchise lore. One day the No. 15 will sit in the Ball Arena rafters, at least with his name and potentially a second, as Carmelo Anthony wore 15 prior to Jokic’s arrival. Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero, who is moonlighting as a reporter for the NBA during the Finals, asked Jokic for the story behind why he wears the No. 15, and got an incredible response — “I was chubby. I was big, and 15 was the biggest jersey.”
Paolo Banchero: “What’s the story behind [wearing] #15?”
Nikola Jokic: “I was chubby, I was big, and #15 was the biggest jersey.”
(via @OrlandoMagic/ Tiktok) pic.twitter.com/ufKGU7WzY6
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 12, 2023
It’s a perfectly Jokic response, as he was famously the chubby kid with crazy skills in Serbia before blossoming into the unstoppable force he’s become in Denver. Through it all he’s worn No. 15, noting he just stuck with it once he got it as a young player, and it’s safe to say it’s worked out for him. There’s always a story behind the number, and even if it doesn’t hold some deep, personal meaning to Jokic, his No. 15 comes with a very funny background.