Michael Jordan had his ‘Flu Game' in 1997. And in 2024, Nikola Jokic had his ‘Gru Game.‘ Jokic and the Denver Nuggets won Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, marking yet another victory over LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Co. But Saturday's win was a little different than the others, as before the game and coinciding with a new ‘Despicable Me 4' advertisement featuring Jokic, the reigning NBA Finals MVP decided to dress up like Gru.
Jokic was spotted wearing a large black and grey scarf and black jacket while walking into the arena Saturday afternoon, and after the big man put up 32 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals, fans were ready to clown on the Lakers for losing to Jokic and the Nuggets once again.
Why Nikola Jokic wore ‘Despicable Me' Gru outfit
While Nikola Jokic, the 2024 NBA Champion, Finals MVP, and two-time (and possibly soon to be three-time) NBA MVP, has eschewed much of the spotlight over the years, he has embraced his growing stardom this season by starring in several television commercials and signing a new shoe endorsement contract. In the latest example of this, Jokic appeared in a new ‘Descipable Me 4' movie advertisement teaser, which aired hours before Game 1 of the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers' NBA playoff series opener.
In the ad, Jokic can be seen speaking with what can be assumed to be a therapist, to whom he tells the time he wore a suit and turtle neck sweater, which sparked remarks that he resembled Gru. But looking like or being compared to Gru isn't the problem; it's that “they” won't stop bothering him. The “they” are Gru's Minions, who are apparently following around Jokic because they believe he is Gru, their boss.
After the game, Jokic explained why he did the advertisement and wore the pre-game Gru outfit.
“I love the guy and I love the cartoon,” Jokic said. “Why not? Just have a little a bit of fun too.”
This season, Jokic appeared in multiple commercials for Hotels.com with teammate Peyton Watson, which seemed like the first step in Jokic capitalizing off of being possibly the best player in the NBA and skyrocketing up the all-time list as well. Jokic, who had been with Nike for eight years, also signed a shoe endorsement deal in December with Chinese brand 361°, which launched his first signature shoe, the Big Future.
Since being drafted during a Taco Bell commercial in 2014 and signing with the Nuggets in 2015, Jokic's rise to becoming one of the greatest centers in NBA history has been anything but ordinary. The lumbering Serbian giant has wowed fans with his playmaking ability and intellect while earning the respect of his peers. Jokic won back-to-back NBA MVP awards in 2021 and 2022 before capturing his and the Nuggets' first NBA Championship last year. Jokic, who was named Finals MVP and broke a more than 50-year-old record for most triple-doubles in a single postseason, is likely to win his third MVP in four years, which would put him in elite company.
If Jokic is named the 2023-24 MVP as expected, he would become just the ninth player in NBA history to have won at least three MVPs, joining Moses Malone (3), Magic Johnson (3), Larry Bird (3), LeBron James (4), Wilt Chamberlain (4), Bill Russell (5), Michael Jordan (5), and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6).
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