Nikola Jokic just wants to go home to Serbia.
After a long season that was capped off with his first championship and NBA Finals MVP award, the Denver Nuggets superstar didn’t seem excited to hang around for the celebrations in the Mile High City.
The 6-foot-11 center had reporters cackling in his postgame press conference — following Denver’s 94-89 win over the Heat in Game 5 — with his unenthused comments about the team’s upcoming championship parade.
“No, I need to go home,” Jokic said when asked if he’s looking forward to the parade, which is set for Thursday.
He took a deep breath and rubbed his head while contemplating the days ahead.
Jokic had a similar comment during his postgame interview with ESPN’s Lisa Salters, who asked how it felt to be an NBA champion.
“It’s good,” Jokic said. “The job is done and we can go home now.”
There were plenty of comical and viral moments that came from Jokic’s post-game commentary.
At one point, the 28-year-old Jokic pulled out his phone to see if he had received a text from fellow Serbian Novak Djokovic — they have been supportive of one another’s respective careers — and wasn’t happy with what he saw.
“Ah… f–k,” Jokic said while he put his phone face down on the table and rubbed his forehead.
When a reporter asked how many texts he had received, Jokic responded with: “A lot, I’m going to turn off the phone.”
Warning: Graphic language
NBA Twitter had a field day with Jokic’s locker-room behavior during the team’s champagne celebrations.
The five-time All-Star, who was seen sporting traditional ski goggles, was seen drinking the Moët & Chandon provided to the players, before gently placing the bottle down on a table.
Meanwhile, his teammates were spraying champagne showers and jumping up and down while doused in booze.
“Nikola Jokic has no idea what to do with champagne, I’m dying,” on person wrote on Twitter.
At one point, he appeared to try and pop a bottle of champagne before giving up on the task.
“Jokic doesn’t want to waste champagne, and I respect that,” another Twitter user wrote.
Jokic leads a private life outside of his NBA career, and is rarely seen outside the court.
He spends the NBA offseason in his native Sombor, Serbia with his wife Natalija and their daughter Ognjena, who they welcomed in September 2021.
Jokic, who enjoys swimming and his horses, is protective over his private time at home, according to The Denver Post.
Jokic — was infamously selected in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft during a Taco Bell commercial — led the Nuggets to the franchise’s first-ever NBA title on Monday.
He is the first player in NBA history to lead the playoffs in total points, rebounds and assists.
Jokic finished with 28 points, 16 rebounds and four assists in the Game 5 win.