When Nikola Jović celebrated his team’s victory on Monday, his daughter took center stage.
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The great center rejoiced on the floor with his 21-month-old daughter Ognjena shortly after the Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat to win the NBA Championship.
As Jović, 28, accepted the Bill Russell Finals MVP Trophy, his daughter, who was wearing his Championship cap with such cuteness, joined him in applauding.
In a picture, Jović holds his kid and gives her a kiss on the cheek while she tries to hold onto the far-too-large hat.Jović and his wife Natalija have a daughter named Ognjena, which means “fiery” in Serbian. October 2020 marked the couple’s marriage anniversary.
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Despite their recent marriage, Natalija has supported Nikola since they were teenagers. She relocated to Denver with Nikola when he signed a contract with the Nuggets in 2015, and she has been cheering on the two-time NBA MVP from the sidelines ever since.
These days, Natalija and their daughter Ognjena are regular attendees at Nikola’s games. According to the AP, Natalija posted a picture of Ognjena clutching Nikola’s game ball from his 100th triple-double on Instagram in March 2023. Only five other players have ever accomplished this feat in NBA history.Natalija and Ognjena were there to support Nikola when he broke yet another NBA record that April (according to Sports Illustrated, he became the first player to average 25 points, ten rebounds, and five assists through his first 50 career postseason games). On Instagram stories, Ognjena was seen wearing a jacket with Nikola’s name and number on the back.
Having his wife and daughter at his side has been really helpful to Nikola as he plays in the NBA.
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That January, he said to Serbia’s Arena TV, “I think all of us who have a wife and kids should be happy with the persons we have beside us.” “When you have a normal life, it lifts you up and only helps you.”
However, Nikola’s journey to becoming a father and an NBA player hasn’t always been smooth. Nikola talked candidly about what it’s like to be away from his daughter when traveling for the NBA in a rare interview with Arena TV at his home in Serbia.
“I play 100 games away, I’m not home for 100 days,” he stated. “Ognjena is not the same when I get home. She literally transforms you in five days.”