NBA 2022 MVP Nikola Jokic to play for Serbia in Eurobasket

Three of the best players from the NBA will play in Eurobasket 2022 after announcing that Nikola Jokic would be playing in the competition. Jokic joins fellow European superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic in the competition. Jokic’s last appearance in a major tournament for Serbia came in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, in which he came off the bench averaging 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists over eight games while shooting 68.0% from the field. Jokic has won the NBA MVP award for two straight years with the Denver Nuggets in the three years since then. Jokic did not participate in the 2021 Olympics due to the short off-season because of the COVID-stretched 2020 season, carrying over to 2021.

2017 Champion Luka Doncic will be hoping to repeat. The 23-year-old European superstar Doncic was pivotal in Slovenia’s run to the Eurocup championship. Doncic, who was only 18 then, led his team in rebounds at the competition. After helping Slovenia get their first Eurobasketball medal, Doncic was on the verge of getting their first Olympic medal in basketball in 2021 but fell just short as Slovenia ended the competition in fourth place.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo will also represent his nation at the Eurobasketball tournament. Two-time MVP Antetokounmpo has played a lot of basketball in the last couple of years, with a championship run and multiple deep playoff runs. However, Greece Basketball GM still did not doubt his availability for the National side, as he said, “Even if he won a championship with the Bucks, he’d be happy to play for us. We are waiting for him to rest.” The 2022 Eurobasketball tournament is set to be great, with three of the NBA’s premier players playing for the complete duration of the competition.