After more than 500 days, Nikola Jokic‘s older brother Strahinja has found out his fate for punching a Los Angeles Lakers fan at the Ball Arena in April 2024. Strahinja was initially charged with third-degree assault, with the fan also filing a lawsuit, as per the New York Post.
Strahinja went viral on April 22, 2024, after the Denver Nuggets defeated the Lakers 101-99 in Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs. Shelly Bradbury of The Denver Post reported that the fan named Nicholas Meyer allegedly suffered injuries after getting punched by the elder Jokic. He had cuts and bruises in his face and was diagnosed with a concussion and a deviated septum.
There were plenty of delays before a resolution was found by all parties involved. Bradbury reported that Strahinja pleaded guilty to trespassing and disorderly conduct on Friday. As part of his plea, he was sentenced to a year of probation.
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It wasn’t his first brush with the law since he was charged with assault in 2019. Bradbury also reported that Strahinja allegedly choked and pushed a woman while also preventing her from contacting 911. He pleaded guilty and was given a deferred sentence, which includes unsupervised probation and the promise to not commit another crime for two years.
Nikola Jokic’s Brothers Aren’t Afraid of NBA Players
While some fans are upset that the physicality in the NBA is gone, Nikola Jokic isn’t new to getting hammered inside the paint since he turned into a superstar. Jokic was once hacked by Markieff Morris in a game between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat in November 2021.
Jokic retaliated by hitting Morris on his back, causing whiplash that kept the veteran out for a while. Markieff’s twin, Marcus Morris, wasn’t too thrilled with what happened and threatened “The Joker” on social media.
However, Jokic’s brothers, Strahinja and Nemanja, weren’t going to let their baby brother receive retaliation from something that Markieff started. They even created an X account just to reply to Marcus, calling them out for a fight, as per People.com.
“You should leave this the way it is instead of publicly threatening our brother! Your brother made a dirty play first. If you want to make a step further, be sure we will be waiting for you!!” the Jokic brothers tweeted, which has now been deleted.
Strahinja and Nemanja were also heated in the 2021 NBA playoffs between the Nuggets and Phoenix Suns. They had to be contained by security after they began shouting toward Suns players, including Devin Booker, who got into Nikola’s face after he hit Cameron Payne in the face.
Strahinja and Nemanja Influenced Nikola Jokic at a Young Age
In an essay on “The Players’ Tribune” back in 2016, Nikola Jokic raved about his brothers’ influence on his career. “The Joker” watched his brothers play basketball when he was growing up in Sombor, Serbia. He even complimented Strahinja and Nemanja by saying that he got his strength and skills from them.
“When I was a kid, I just watched my brothers. They play basketball, too. We had some courts outside in our hometown. When they would play on those courts, I would watch when I was a little baby with my pacifier. I mix a little bit of both of them. One is talented, one is really strong. I’m a little bit talented, and a little bit strong,” Jokic wrote.
His brothers also helped Nikola focus on basketball and not let vices get to him. It worked since that kid from Serbia turned into a three-time NBA MVP, an NBA champion and one of the best to ever to do it.
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