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Ex-Teammate Explains How He Gave Nikola Jokic His Nickname

Stephen Douglas

Nikola Jokic (Mike Miller back in 2017.
Nikola Jokic (Mike Miller back in 2017. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
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Nikola Jokic was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 2014 and joined the team for the 2015-2016 season, the same season that veteran Mike Miller arrived. As the story goes, Miller recognized Jokic's talent immediately. And on top of that, he gave him his nickname.

On the latest episode of Podcast P with Paul George, Miller revealed the origins of "Joker" and it's about as simple as you can imagine.

"I gave him the nickname 'The Joker,' one because I couldn't say Jokic pass the ball, so I said Joker pass the ball," Miller explained. "HIs personality and the way he plays, it's like a joker. Like everytime I saw him that's a joke and I couldn't say Jokic fast enough to pass it to him. Joker was it."

Miller's only regret about the nickname was the fact that he didn't trademark it, because Jokic is now making $75 million and doesn't need it.

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Stephen Douglas
STEPHEN DOUGLAS

Stephen Douglas is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in media since 2008 and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Douglas spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and previously wrote for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.

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