Nikola Jokic has a very impressive resume. He's been named to an all-NBA team five times, won league MVP twice, and most recently an NBA championship. But back when he was around 12 or 14 years old, his NBA dream was nearly over all because of his other hobby; horse racing.

Ever since the Denver Nuggets won their first NBA title, Jokic's love for horses has been well-documented. He has over half a dozen of them and promised to add another horse to his stable whether they win or lose the 2023 finals. Let's also not forget that Jokic even wanted to miss the Nuggets championship parade just so that he could attend his horse race.

He's also become good friends with harness racer Tim Tetrick. Every time the Nuggets are in New York, he'd make sure to stop by so that they could visit a few stables. It got so bad that their bus had to wait three hours for him to come back after hanging out with Tetrick.

How Nikola Jokic nearly quit basketball for horse racing

Jokic first fell in love with basketball as a kid watching his brothers (Strahinja and Nemanja) play. But he wasn't taking it seriously though since he was caught in between both of his hobbies. After all, he was a 6 foot 11, 250 lb. plus giant. On the other hand, in an interview with SLAM back in 2016, Jokic said he finished fourth place in his first horse race despite facing tougher competition.

Back in 2021, Altitude TV reporter Vic Lombardi asked Jokic whether there was a moment he thought about quitting basketball. This was his response:

“I quit when I was 12 or 14. It was for about like six months. The only thing I wanted to do was race horses,” Jokic said. “I returned for one game, but I told the coach I had to leave at halftime for another horse race.”

In fact, if it weren't for his father, Branislav, Jokic would've pursued a career as a horseman as a teenager:

“He told me, Dad, I want to become a horseman,” Branislav told The Associated Press. I used to tell him: “Son, become a basketball player first, and you’ll become a great horseman later.”

Luckily, Nikola Jokic listened to his father's advice. Today, even at 28 years old, Jokic is one of the best centers to ever play the game.

Nikola Jokic Wanted To QUIT Basketball 😲 I Clutch #Shorts – YouTube