Nikola Jokic Had Incredibly Funny Reply to Request From No. 1 Fan Yang Hansen

Yang said he'd ask for a photo and a signature if he met his idol. Jokic obliged ... with a catch.
Worth noting is that Yang has been referred to as the "Chinese Jokic."
Worth noting is that Yang has been referred to as the "Chinese Jokic." / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Trail Blazers' first-round pick Yang Hansen has already made clear his love for Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. Just a few weeks ago, in fact, he said that if he ever got the chance to meet his idol, the first thing he'd ask him would be for a picture and an autograph.

Well, on Tuesday evening, we found out whether Jokic would oblige his No. 1 fan and purported not-so-mini-me should said opportunity arise. And the short answer there is yes ... but with a catch.

"He's good. I think I'm happy [that] when he gets in his prime, I'm gonna be out of the league, probably," quipped a smiling Jokic, in a video shared by the NBA. (The center had just finished watching a clip of Yang's aforementioned request.) "Yeah, he's talented, he's talented. We can have a picture or whatever he wants, [but] only if he"—and this is where the answer gets good—"plays bad against me."

"Let's say that I destroy him and I score a lot of points, then yes," the Joker, true to his name, continued. "If he [does that to me], no."

Watch that fun moment below:

Alright, Yang ... you know what to do.


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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.