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So, I'm kind of curious, you've been in a few of these races now, whether you win or
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don't win them, you're kind of just feeling toward the race and this just being a part
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of it changed at all?
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Have you come to sort of accept that this is just part of it more or do you feel more
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opposed to it maybe than the first time you were involved in it?
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I cannot control, I mean, I can control it but I cannot control it so if they're going
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to put me in that conversation and it's been three or four years now so I think I'm kind
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of used to it so I don't even pay attention anymore so probably a good problem to have.
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Nicole and I said you're not used to it but this has become the norm, how, I guess, beyond
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the realm of possibility was even winning the first, let alone the idea of winning three
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in four years when you're a kid just playing basketball or making your way through before
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you even, and then maybe just getting to the NBA that you'd be the best player in the league
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through the last four years.
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Yeah, I mean, I don't know, I have to be honest, I liked the last year and I didn't get it
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and then we won a championship much better but, you know, it's a, I don't know what to
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say, it's a journey, it's a process, it's a trusting in your teammates, teammates trusting
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in you, it's just a whole collective effort that put me in front of the bright spotlight
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and I'm kind of the guy but there is a lot of people, players, coaches, sand coaches,
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development coaches, medical staff behind me, family, of course, and that you guys don't
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see it and I'm just one of them.
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You mentioned your family, how important, how much more does it mean having them in
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the room with you when it gets announced and having their reactions too?
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I mean, I didn't invite them, they just show up so, I'm like, who wants to drive, like
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45 minutes here to get it, but it's nice, you know, it's a special moment, probably
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I'm going to remember, what's the name, the whole life, so it's, I like to say, the legacy
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for after a career.
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Nicola, what is it about, sorry, what is it about winning and competing and playing in
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the NBA you do love the most, what is it?
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I mean, I think you said, like, competing in a high level, competing against the best
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competing against the best coaches, competing in a tougher environment, you know, just lose
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games, win games, you know, experience, you know, just being there in the big moments
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and the big games.
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Nicola, you know, I know you don't like trying to think about this, but you're now one of
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nine guys that have won three MVPs and, you know, those are, you're in a really good company,
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you know, is there ever going to be a point where you stop and think, like, oh my goodness,
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I'm one of nine guys in NBA history to do this?
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I just said it, I mean, when I won the first time, I was like, okay, this is cool, this
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is nice, when I won a second time, the list was way shorter, and now the list is kind
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of short, you know, so I'm just happy to be part of those guys, those group of guys, which
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is not bad group of guys, right, so, like I said, I think it's a legacy for the after
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the career, and, you know, I think I'm going to be more maybe proud of myself after career
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than I am right now.
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Nicola, I know you just said you save legacy stuff for after your career, but does being
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a father changed how you view legacy at all?
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Yes, in a good way, basketball doesn't mean that much, and, you know, probably that helps
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me too, you know, it's a job, it's a thing that I like, of course, I like to do it, to
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play the game, everything else, but yes, being father, and being father, that means that
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you don't play just for yourself, or just the teammates you have, like background behind
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you that's, maybe when you're older, you don't want them to look at your videos or whatever,
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and say that you're bad, or, so, hopefully, I can talk a lot of trash when my kid or my
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nephews grow up, so, I'm going to be a cool grandpa.
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Nicola, right here, Deki once told me that he cared more about who you became as a person
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than a player, you know, obviously, for who you became more than what you did on the court,
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what did he mean to you?
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I mean, it's, you know, I always say to the people, not media people, let's say like that,
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I mean, he meant to me more now when he was not coached to me anymore, you know, he was
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my friend, he was our family friend, he was always in my house when he was here, and we
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were always going to his house when I was in Golden State, so, it was just like really,
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really quality friendship with a lot of truth between, telling truth between each other
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and being honest, you know, I think it's, Deki was a guy who you always wanted to have
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as a friend, someone who's going to tell you how it is, you know, with no lying and no
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trying to hide anything.
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Nicola, you know, people, I think, now debate like, who's the greatest Denver athlete ever,
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you know, John Elway with the Broncos or Joe Sacak with the Avs, like, just for you, no,
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no, no, no, but like, just when, for you to even be in the discussion now with this and
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the championship, like, is that a little cool for you, I don't know, even though if you
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know a ton about those guys, but?
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I heard about them, and it's, I don't want to start this conversation coming up, you
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know, I think, you know, being, living in Denver or whatever, being a part of Denver,
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I think it's cool to have, even in hockey right now, I think it's just enjoying the
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moment, because I was here when we were not that good, and everybody was, like, talking
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bad to us, talking and, like, thinking bad to us, so just enjoy the moment, enjoy the
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process, enjoy the, because it's going to pass, probably, you know, everything's passed,
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so this is going to pass, too, so I think enjoy the moment and be happy.
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To, Nicole, to piggyback off Mike's question about Deki a little bit, you're paying tribute
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to him with that shirt, I guess, is today a day to kind of just reflect on all the people
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who, you know, that helped you along the way, and who has helped you, and how much did he
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help you?
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I mean, yes, I mean, to be honest, I'm wearing this kind of shirt pretty much every day,
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especially when I'm in a training facility, you know, Deki was the guy who gave me the
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freedom, you know, he showed me the way how you're supposed to do things, act, train,
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workout, having positive energy, having positive attitude, it's, you know, he's the guy who's,
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I mean, you can just see how many players and people he affected, and it's, you know,
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he had a positive effect on me, like I said, maybe probably more now as a friend than when
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he was my coach, but yes, basketball-wise, he gave me the freedom to do whatever I want
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to do, and he trusted me, and I can just say thank you.
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Nicole, why have you embraced the sponsorships, the commercials, the shoes, like, more so
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than you ever have before, you used to say, if they paid me, I'll do it, so is it just
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that, or are you actually enjoying it?
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I mean, I didn't, I had two commercials, right, and I just changed the brand, just, you know,
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it was, I mean, 36.1 showed up with great respect to me, and I just said, these guys
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want to do, and wants to basically help me, use me, whatever you want to, however you
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want to say, and then when I read about them, they're actually really, really popular, and
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they're really up-scaling brand, let's say like that, and, you know, maybe I can help
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them too in some way, so it's, but the most thing about the shoes is the quality of shoes
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that I really like, and they made sure that the comfort is there, and, you know, they
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did a really good job.
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Nicole, kind of similar to what Jacob was asking, but understanding how much teams mean
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to fans and players, so John Elway, that's why you still see people wearing seven jerseys
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and 19 jerseys, do you at least understand what you mean to Nuggets fans and folks in
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this town, and what you saw with the parade, and even long after you're retired, you think
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about what you'll mean to everyone that's got to watch you and see your career grow
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and see all these accolades, do you understand that part?
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Yes, I mean, of course, this is going to be my second home, and hopefully I'm going to
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come one time here after I finish career, and still have friends here, you know, I feel
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the respect that they show me, you know, I'm hanging in the Washington Park, and everybody
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is cheering me like they're, they're really respectful, and I really appreciate it, nobody
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is really, I'm going to say, aggressively bugging me, does that make any sense? Because
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I'm with a kid, and they really respect me, and I really, really appreciate that, and
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they're a really good fan base, and I'm really happy that they're on our side every time
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when we are down or up, they are our sixth player, and people in Denver, I think, they
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are really, really, really chill, and they are really, like I said, if I'm born here,
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or wherever I live here, I will just enjoy the moment right now.
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Nikola, there's a really good chance Nathan McKinnon could win the MVP, I'm just curious,
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your relationship, maybe you can speak on that, and what do you think about that, about
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that happening here in this building, possibly this year?
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I mean, actually, I watched the game, I watched the game when I was like, in February, back
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in February, right?
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They lost last night, right?
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They won?
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Yeah, I didn't watch it, because I have other things to do, but I love the sport, first
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of all, and I love, even being a fan, like when I'm going to the games, I'm a fan of
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the avalanche, and I think it's really cool to be part of something that it's, I think
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the building the same way as the nuggets in some way, and they are trusting their players,
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and they're trusting Nathan, and he's playing good, and he's really fast on those skates,
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it's really, really fast, right?
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And I'm really, because I don't know how to skate, and how physical, how much energy
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is in the planes, really, it's much better in life than when you watch it on TV.
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Nikola, will anything be better than when you got it in Serbia, when coach came over,
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and you guys all had like a party, and does this moment right now make you want to be
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home, like doing that all over again?
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I mean, it doesn't mean that we're not going to do it, so, I mean, maybe just not by the
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way, but maybe when everything's finished, why not?
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But now, I mean, my first one, I got it here, right?
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In Phoenix, yeah.
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Nik has a great story about that.
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Yeah, I mean, it's, I don't have a feeling to go home, and like, it doesn't have a,
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I mean, I would like it, because it was a really special moment.
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All my friends, all my family were there, and of course, I came with a horse, which is a
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big, big part of my life, but, you know, that's probably unique once in a lifetime.
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Nikola, other than this, what does this kind of week and this stretch of off days look
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like for you, just in terms of trying to mentally and physically reset and prepare?
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Yeah, of course, we had yesterday day off, today we came here, work out a little bit,
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you know, just mentally, yesterday was mentally off, today is mentally on, you know,
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just to be ready for tomorrow, Friday.
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Hey, Nikola, if you think back to December 15, 2016, when you became the starting center
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and Mike Malone put you in the starting lineup and everything kind of changed since then,
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what do you remember about that date or game when you just think back to it?
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I mean, don't mess it up, I remember, you know, so everybody was telling me, like,
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okay, you're going to start, I said, don't mess it up, just play the same way.
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I mean, and I think I did, you know, I think even when you get opportunity like that,
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you don't really think about it, and I think you can think about it if you start thinking
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about who you're playing or it's a big moment, you're just going to put a lot of pressure
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on yourself, just go and do the thing that brought you there.
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I think that's advice for young people.
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Nikola, you've talked before about your kind of admiration for a lot of different guys
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that came before you, but one of those with Tim Duncan, you know, playing with one franchise
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for 19 years, do you ever, as much as you have accomplished, you know, before the age
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of 30, do you ever think about how long you want to play or, you know, what would determine,
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you know, how long you want to play basketball?
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I mean, hopefully I'm going to be ready, I mean, I think that the determination is going
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to be if I can perform on the high level or not, you know, I think I'm not going to take
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spots from some young guys or take, put the franchise down as long as I can play on the
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highest level and help the team win.
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I think that's going to be my, I'm going to play until then.
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Thank you, Nikola.
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Guys, pleasure like always.
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