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Nikola Jokic laid out a candid session during an interview with Sportklub’s show “Putevima Sporta” in which the Denver Nuggets center spoke about the constant media attention he's faced since he's been in the NBA.
Translation by Yiannis Bouranis of TalkBasket.net:
“Anywhere we go, people want to take pictures, we’re like some animals in a ‘circus’ – ‘let’s take a picture, let’s take a picture,’” said Jokic. “I also find it funny because when you think about it a bit better, you lose awareness of reality – we’re just players, we play basketball.
“I am honestly a big opponent of the media because I think they are bad for sports, but we are where we are because of the media, that’s why we are known and that is why they can have influence.”
Jokic is for the most part a relatively meek interview with a few flashes of comic relief, though he's hardly known as engaging when it comes to his media availability. Though he seems to be aware that the “circus” is what really has spearheaded the NBA to go from an 8-month league to a 24/7, 365-days-a-week type of league, which has also reflected on the hefty checks stars of his caliber bring home.
Dial back the clock 30 years ago and stars like him weren't making remotely the $26.6 million he will make this season, or signing extensions like the five-year, $147 million max he signed coming off his rookie contract (now five years, $170 million for those drafted in 2016).
The media coverage and the frantic attention on the NBA and its personalities had help the league skyrocket in popularity, resulting in garnering attention overseas, merchandise sales, and booming TV revenues, which has allowed the league to become one of the most fruitful ones in the world.
