Nikola Jokic appears to be taking the Charles Barkley approach to fan relations.
The Denver Nuggets star center Jokic appeared this week on the “Jao Mile” podcast. During the episode, Jokic admitted that he is often rude to fans who approach him in public and explained his reasoning.
“I’m getting more and more bothered by popularity,” said Jokic, per a rough translation from ClutchPoints. “This is going to sound corny, but I’m getting ruder to people who approach me. Honestly, it’s tiring…Some people around me know, I don’t take pictures because it’s my time.
“I’ll sound rude again, but what can I do?” Jokic added. “If people can’t understand me, I understand everything. But it’s been 11-12 years and enough is enough. I feel better when someone tells me something, like you come to the zoo and take a picture of something.”
Jokic, 31, is one of the biggest stars in professional sports as a three-time NBA MVP and a one-time champion and Finals MVP. That obviously comes with a significant level of fame and attention, especially when the 6-foot-11, 284-pound Jokic is out and about in public.
On the one hand, some people are just not equipped to handle that level of fame, especially when trying to enjoy a peaceful day off the court. On the other hand, the fans are the ones responsible for why Jokic (who has made over $300 million in NBA salary) can even have as lucrative of a career as he does, and they therefore deserve a certain level of respect and etiquette.
You may recall that there was a controversy last season in which Jokic was heavily criticized for allegedly snubbing dozens of Serbian performers who had come to see him after a game. Now Jokic himself is admitting this week that fan interactions are not exactly his priority.
