Nikola Jokic loves his horses. Many have jokingly wondered over the years as to whether he may actually be more enamored with them than his position in the NBA. People were quick to joke about the fact that this looked like more emotion than when the Denver Nuggets secured the 2023 NBA championship.

But at least the way one of his former Denver Nuggets teammates tells the story, Jokic's basketball career was almost over three years ago. On the Straight Game Podcast, DeMarcus Cousins shared the story that Jokic nearly retired in 2022 rather than sign his supermax extension with Denver. Jokic was 27 at the time.