Nikola Jokic returns to his hometown of Sombor, Serbia, every offseason to escape NBA fame and reconnect with his roots. The three-time MVP spends his summers training horses at his Dream Catcher hippodrome, playing 3-on-3 basketball with childhood friends, and maintaining the low-profile lifestyle he has always preferred.
Jokic’s offseason routine in the town of 41,000 includes morning workouts, mucking horse stalls, and riding his bike through shaded streets. He plays pickup basketball weekly on the court outside his primary school, where a four-story mural of him overlooks the playing surface.
His godfather and conditioning coach Nebojsa Vagic explained why horses matter so much to the Denver Nuggets center. The passion contrasts sharply with Jokic’s businesslike approach to basketball.
“The horses are where he’s happiest,” Vagic said as part of an extended profile written by Tim Keown for ESPN. “With horse racing, he has so many emotions. He’s passionate about it. With basketball, he’s a disciplined animal. He’s a hit man. When the game is over, it’s ‘Thank you very much.’ He doesn’t allow emotion into basketball. Horse racing is different. He heals himself with horse racing.”
Sombor residents maintain an informal pact to protect Jokic’s privacy. No autographs, photographs, or interruptions when he’s dining with family are permitted by unwritten rule.
Former teammate Nemanja Pavkov described the competitive 3-on-3 games Jokic plays on the remodeled court he funded outside his old school.
“We must play every year so we can see his progress on our court,” Pavkov said. “We know he is strong, but we need to make sure he is getting better. When he comes here, he knows we are not going to let him win.”
Jokic spends entire days cycling between the gym, his hippodrome, and The Strand, a canal where he swims and relaxes. He often attempts to buy drinks for friends at local establishments, though they frequently beat him to it as a matter of Serbian pride.
Vagic emphasized the slower pace of life in Sombor compared to major cities, explaining why Jokic consistently returns despite his global fame.
“My man Nikola has a problem,” Vagic says. “He realized a long time ago: People just don’t get him. He gets quite frustrated. He can’t talk to just anybody.”