Jokic's love for his hometown

DENVER (Rio 2016 Olympic Games/FIBA EuroBasket 2017) - Nikola Jokic confirmed a few important things this summer to himself and to those who are following his career back in Serbia.

The Denver Nuggets big man, coming off a terrific rookie campaign, proved he has the quality to play at the highest level of international basketball, helping his national team first win the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Belgrade and then reach the Rio Games Final.

At the OQT, he was the Most Valuable Player of the competition while in Brazil, Jokic had some big performances.

Jokic had 25 points in Serbia's 94-91 defeat to the USA in Group A

So what else did Jokic have confirmed? That the people in his homeland care deeply about him, and especially the good folk in his hometown of Sombor, which is in the northwestern part of the country, not far from the Croatian and Hungarian borders. The celebrations he received after Serbia's silver medal success in both Belgrade and Sombor were unforgettable.

"First in Belgrade, there were thousands and thousands of people, just waiting for us," he said in an interview with denverstiffs.com. "Not just for the men's basketball team, but the water polo team, the volleyball team, the women's basketball team, for the entire Olympic team.

"Then I came back to my home in Sombor, and they made a celebration just for me, and that was overwhelming. And awesome."

Jokic was visibly moved when he stood on a stage and addressed his family and friends in Sombor.

"You can see from the video that I couldn't stop my emotions," he said. "I saw what seemed like thousands of familiar faces in the crowd. I was really, really touched to know that my hometown has got my back, and everybody supports me. Everybody knew what I was going through, and it was just really an emotional day for me."

With Jokic now a pivotal member of the national team, Serbia know they will have a weapon of the highest order to attack opponents with. He can do a little bit of everything on both ends of the floor.

Just 21 years of age and already with a terrific rookie season in the NBA under his belt, Jokic is just scratching the surface of his potential. At the OQT, he averaged 17.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

At the Olympics, he showed he can bury the 3-pointer, making 3-of-10 across his stay in Rio. Jokic swatted five shots.

In Serbia's narrow defeat to the United States in Group A, Jokic poured in 25 points but the Americans limited him to just 6 in the Gold Medal Game.

Jokic is important for his national team and the Nuggets, not just for his performances on the court, but because of his character. He's nicknamed 'Joker' for a reason.

"I just like to have fun," he said. "I enjoy how everyone acts when we are keeping it light and having fun, at least off the court.

"I like when we have fun in the locker room, and that was true with every team clear back to my hometown. I want everybody to smile, I want everybody to be happy. I can say that that's my job to do, to make everybody happy."

FIBA