POČINJE NOVA NBA SEZONA / NEW NBA SEASON LAUNCHING Čekamo novi prsten za Denver Awaiting new rings for Denver N j egovo ime ćemo često čuti od 21. oktobra, ka- da počinje nova sezo- na u NBA ligi, pa sve do, nadamo se, kraja juna i
bitna za Jokića, verovatno i najbitni- ja u njegovoj karijeri. Novu sezonu 21. oktobra otvoriće šampionski tim Okla- home i Hjustona. Samo dan kasnije i vi možete da budete na tribinama dvo- rane „Medison Skver Garden“ gde Nik- si dočekuju Klivlend, odnosno u „Ju- najted centru“ na meču Bulsa i Detroit Pistonsa jer Er Srbija leti direktno za Njujork i Čikago. W e will hear his name regularly as of 21 st October, when the new NBA season gets underway, and will hopefully continue to hear it until the end of June and the awarding of the championship rings. Denver’s Serbian center is a proper bas- ketball Hall of Famer, probably rank- ing among the all-time greatest centers, having led the Nuggets to the “Prom- ised Land” in 2023. His name is Niko- la Jokić and his ten fingers brought the first ever NBA championship title to the Colorado-based club. But the Nuggets just weren’t the same in the seasons that followed. They re- mained among the top teams, but often lacked that one step, much like the Ser-
bia team at EuroBasket. One gets the impression that Jokić’s teammates took for granted the fact that this Sombor native is the “best of the best” and that he will do their part of the work, given that he’s already “on the job”. And they thus began wasting Jokić’s best years. The Nuggets’ owners then decided, fi- nally, to build a team as strong as those mountains around Jokić. Jokić celebrated his 30 th birthday in February and can increasingly be heard mentioning his retirement from bas- ketball. He more often downplays it through his unique sense of humour, but where there’s smoke... He is cur- rently at the peak of his career and rid- ing a wave that could carry him for an- other two or three seasons. That’s why this new NBA season is important for Jokić, probably the most important of his career. Current champions Oklahoma take on Housten to open the new NBA season on 21 st October. Just a day later, you can also be in the stands of Madison Square Garden to watch the Knicks host Cleveland, or at the United Center are- na for the match between the Bulls and the Detroit Pistons, as Air Serbia flies directly to both New York and Chicago.
dodele šampionskog prstena.
Centar Denvera je pravi član košar- kaške Kuće slavnih, verovatno jedan od najvećih centara svih vremena, ko- ji je Nagetse 2023. odveo do „Obeća- ne zemlje“. Ime mu je Nikola Jokić i sa svojih je deset prstiju klubu iz Kolora- da doneo prvu NBA titulu. Ali u sezonama koje su usledile Na- getsi jednostavno nisu bili isti. Drža- li su se u vrhu, međutim, često im je nedostajao taj jedan korak, kao i srp- skom timu na Evropskom prvenstvu. Utisak je da su Jokićevi saigrači pri- hvatili zdravo za gotovo da je Sombo- rac „best of the best“ i da će, kada je već „na poslu“, da odradi i njihov deo. Tako su počeli da troše Jokićeve naj- bolje godine. Vlasnici Denvera su onda konačno odlučili da oko Jokića stvo- re tim jak kao zemlja. Jokić je u febru- aru proslavio 30. rođendan i sve češće se dešava da priča o košarkaškoj penzi- ji. Više to provlači kroz svoj karakteri- stičan osećaj za humor, ali gde ima di- ma... Zato je nova sezona u NBA ligi
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