Nikola Jokic reflects on Olympic semifinal loss to Team USA: ‘Probably the biggest defeat of my career’

Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic has been around the game of basketball long enough to experience some heartbreaking losses, but in his mind, the biggest defeat of his career might have come this past summer.

Jokic, playing with Serbia in the 2024 Olympics, helped his country reach the semifinals of the men’s basketball tournament for a matchup against Team USA.

Serbia had Team USA on the ropes for much of the game, but the Americans ultimately escaped with a narrow victory to eliminate Jokic and company from gold medal contention.

“It was a good match,” he said. “Probably the biggest defeat of my career. [We had a] big chance. In the end, they beat us. People from the stands will probably see it as a normal defeat, but for those who played, it was certainly one of the toughest defeats in our careers.”

Fortunately for Jokic and Serbia, their Olympic journey didn’t end with their semifinal loss to Team USA. Serbia met Germany in the bronze medal game, giving the three-time NBA MVP and his Serbian teammates a chance to finish the summer on a high note.

They did just that, beating Germany to capture bronze. That led to some major celebrations afterward.

As mentioned, Jokic has felt the pain of some tough defeats during his NBA career, including just last season when his Nuggets were eliminated in seven games by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the playoffs.

However, it appears that he really wanted to beat Team USA this past summer while representing his nation — so much that the Olympic loss possibly outweighs any NBA loss he’s experienced.

In the semifinal game, Jokic finished with 20 points, five rebounds, eight assists and four steals. In the bronze medal game, he had a triple-double, going for 19 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists while adding a steal. He certainly left his fingerprints all over the tournament en route to a medal for Serbia.

Now, the superstar will turn his attention to the upcoming NBA season, where his Nuggets are looking to get back on track after a disappointing finish to the 2023-24 season. Denver won the NBA Finals in the 2022-23 season and will look to get back to that level of play when the new campaign begins.

Meanwhile, he may be keeping his eye on 2028, as that will be the next chance for Serbia to crack Olympic gold following its third-place finish this year.