My run of reading baseball books was temporarily interrupted by a notice from my local library that my hold for this book was ready. Having read many positive reviews for this one, not to mention how enjoyable he is to watch play, I made sure to pick it up and read it right away. Here is my review of this biography on Nikola Jokic.
Title/Author:
“Why So Serious? The Untold Story of NBA Champion Nikola Jokic” by Mike Singer
Rating:
5 of 5 stars (excellent)
Review:
For a quiet, unassuming (albeit tall) Serbian man who loves horses to become a two-time NBA MVP and lead his team, the Denver Nuggets, to their first NBA championship in 2023, it takes a special story to make it believable. Denver writer Mike Singer does so in this terrific book about that player, Nikola Jokic.
The most striking feature about both the book and the subject is how humble he is, especially considering the success he has attained as an NBA player. That is clear from the beginning when Singer is writing about Jokic’s formative years. Believe it or not, basketball is not Jokic’s first love at that time – it was horses. He never lost that love even while developing into one of the best basketball players of his era – horses are still an important part of him, and they are included in some parts of the book throughout.
Another important aspect of Jokic to know is that he is very self-deprecating. Whether meant as humor or self-criticism, he not only does he speak like this but also very matter-of-factly. There are many instances of this throughout the book as well. It should also be noted that Jokic has never had what has been known as a basketball body and he was aware of that. The difference is that while he was an up-and-coming European player, he just let his skills and basketball smarts overcome any physical deficiencies. He paid more attention to his body once he reached the NBA and while he still will never be mistaken for better athletic bodies, his overall strength and endurance is much better.
Of course, there is plenty of basketball text in the book, both in Europe and the NBA. Since Jokic’s only professional team has been the Nuggets, the book chronicles the Nuggets’ seasons with Jokic quite well. There aren’t a lot of game summaries but instead the reader will get a feeling of the camaraderie of the Nuggets players, especially on how they interact with their all-NBA center. Because of all this and much more, this is a very enjoyable read for any basketball fan. One doesn’t have to be a Nuggets fan to enjoy this book.
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