No matter how much weight Nikola Jokic seems to lose these days, he never seems to have a body similar to LeBron James, Joel Embiid, or even pass the eye test as one of the greatest NBA players in today's game. Now we know why.

Jokic once revealed in an interview with ESPN that he used to have a very unhealthy diet centered on Coca-Cola. He said that he'd drink at least three liters of the drink each day and had trouble holding back:

“I used to drink two or three liters of Coca-Cola every day and I had my last can on the flight to the United States. The first week in practice was tough. All my teammates were more physical and athletic. I kind of wanted to go home,” said Jokic.

Oddly enough, that isn't the first time Jokic wanted to pack his bags and quit basketball. When he was around 12 or 14 years old, he was more interested in horse racing— a hobby that's become well-documented in the Denver Nuggets' 2023 championship run. 

What made Jokic so addicted to Coca-Cola?

It's normal for NBA players to have unhealthy eating habits. Michael Jordan ate at McDonalds so much that they named a meal after him. Stephen Curry has become so addicted to popcorn that he's even made a power ranking of every NBA team's popcorn.

In Jokic's case, he never knew what the soda could do to the body. As per Nuggets trainer Steve Hess, he thought soft drinks and candy high in sugar were okay since it gave him a jolt of energy. However, while some people can struggle to withdraw from an addiction, Nikola Jokic was actually relieved that he finally had a reason to stop drinking it:

“No. Nothing. It was easy. I felt really good, actually. It was good to know I didn't need it,” Jokic said.

Once he gave up the drink, the results of his workout began to show. In his first three years in the NBA, Jokic dropped more than 40 lbs. while decreasing his body fat from 21% down to 9%.

You can only imagine how dominant Jokic would actually be if he had a better diet when he was younger.

Nikola Jokic’s Hidden ADDICTION 😲 I Clutch #Shorts – YouTube