Some players spend their offseasons in Cancun, Mexico. Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, who officially won a second straight NBA Most Valuable Player trophy, goes to Sombor, Serbia.
Despite Denver's first round playoff loss to the Golden State Warriors, the 27-year-old Serbian native put together an impressive season, leading the Nuggets to a 48-34 record.
Jokic averaged 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists in his regular-season MVP campaign. He also became the first player in NBA history with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season.
He's the second consecutive international player to win two MVPs in a row after Milwaukee Bucks big man Giannis Antetokounmpo achieved the same feat in 2019 and 2020. Jokic joins Antetokounmpo, LeBron James and Stephen Curry as the only active players with multiple MVP awards.
When asked how he might celebrate winning the award, he had a simple answer.
"Probably with some music, beer, friends around, family," he said. "Like how you're supposed to do probably."
The Nuggets helped Jokic do just that by flying to his hometown of Sombor, to present him with his new hardware.
Surprise in Sombor✈️🇷🇸 We flew to Serbia to surprise the BACK-TO-BACK MVP! And, wow, this moment was special. pic.twitter.com/aFvIEDgnSj
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) May 11, 2022