Amid an up-and-down start for his Denver Nuggets, Nikola Jokić didn't appreciate how Denver fans treated the team early in the season.
When the Nuggets fell behind by double digits in their home opener to the New Orleans Pelicans, many folks in the building let their residual feelings from a first-round playoff exit in the spring surface in some hearty booing. When the Nuggets later won in overtime, Jokić denounced those fans, saying anyone who booed their own team wasn't welcome at the home arena. As a matter of principle, he would later double down on those comments.
Surely, Jokić's feelings couldn't have been connected to a similarly slow individual start for the three-time MVP. Right? The counting stats were sort of there, but through six
games, Jokić did not otherwise resemble the player who has finished as a top-two MVP finalist for the entire 2020s so far. Was Jokić taking his slow start out on Nuggets fans who are anxious about the team remaining a championship contender with him at the forefront? Was there some angst with him?
We seem to have gotten a definitive answer on Wednesday night. After Jokić dropped a dominant 32-point triple-double in a 128-109 win over the Toronto Raptors, where he looked a lot smoother and more comfortable on both ends of the floor, the superstar center had a message for Nuggets fans.
He loves them, and he enjoys playing in front of them. Yeah, let's just say someone was in a good mood again:
Nikola Jokic to Nuggets fans at Ball Arena after today's win
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) November 5, 2026
"I love you guys."
"Thank you guys for staying. It was a pleasure playing in front of you." pic.twitter.com/hIsnWoxwFj
They say winning cures all. Well, so does feeling (and playing) like yourself. If the 4-3 Nuggets keep winning while Jokić keeps playing like the MVP-caliber player he expects to be, then something tells me we won't have any more Nuggets-booing controversies any time soon.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Nikola Jokić quashes beef with Nuggets fans after finally playing like himself
