The 2021-22 NBA season is just three weeks old and already the league has a new rivalry forming between Nikola Jokic and Markieff Morris.
The contentious relationship between the reigning MVP and the veteran forward began on Monday night during a game between the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat. Late in the fourth quarter of an out-of-hand game, Morris checked Jokic on a Nuggets breakaway. The 6-foot-11, 284-pound center responded by shoving Morris forcefully to the ground, leading to a scuffle between both teams on the court.
The incident could’ve stopped there, but continued throughout Monday evening and into Tuesday morning. Members of the Heat reportedly went outside of the Nuggets locker room after their 113-96 loss and both Markieff and his twin brother Marcus addressed Jokic’s shove on Twitter.
However, by far the most bizarre response to the incident came from Nikola’s older brothers, Nemanja and Strahinja. The two elder members of the Jokic family appeared to make a Twitter account to go back at Marcus Morris for his tweet about Nikola.
“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 !! Jokic Brothers” Nikola’s older brothers wrote on Twitter after reportedly making an account to address the Heat’s response to Monday night’s incident.
After Nuggets’ reporter Mike Singer confirmed that the account belonged to Nemanja and Strahinja, the sports world had a field day with the response.
Jokic took ownership for the shove after the game on Monday night, but will still likely face a suspension and/or a fine from the league. Although Morris wasn’t innocent in the interaction, the Nuggets center clearly took the altercation another level.
One thing that’s certain is that the fallout from this incident is far from over. Denver and Miami will face each other in just a few weeks on November 29.
Both teams will surely come into that match-up with some extra juice, making the meeting a must-watch game for NBA fans.