Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Mike Sykes
Happy Friday, folks! Welcome back to Layup Lines. Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you’ve got an awesome weekend lined up ahead of you — especially heading into 2024.
Let’s talk a bit about Nikola Jokic. Though I should say, this is a little less about him on the court (where he’s been excellent this year!) and more about him off of it.
Remember when the Nuggets won their first championship this season and it kind of, sort of seemed like Jokic hated every minute of it? He wanted to get home to Serbia as soon as possible. He also didn’t want to have a parade initially (though he changed his mind pretty quickly once it started).
Many of us assumed Jokic just hated being an NBA player. It wasn’t that he hated playing basketball — it was just that the NBA seemed like a job to do for him. All the fanfare that came with it just didn’t suit him well. He made that clear.
It turns out we were all right. Well, kind of. It wasn’t that he didn’t like his job — he just doesn’t like the fame it comes with.
Jokic was asked about it all by his teammate, Michael Porter Jr., on his new “Curious Mike” podcast and he explained it all.
"It just feels sad, whenever you go to the bar, restaurant, some people … are just taking their phones out and trying to record you."
Jokić gives his honest perspective on fame
(via Curious Mike w/ Michael Porter Jr.) pic.twitter.com/wOKFxHH4w6
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 29, 2023
“Being famous, I think some people like it. I don’t, really. When I finish my career, I really wish nobody knows me, and I really wish my kid, or kids in the future, really remember me as a dad, not as a basketball player.”
It all makes so much more sense now. This is a dude who really just wants to…be a dude!
Nothing more and nothing less. Obviously, that’s not possible now because he’s arguably the best basketball player in the world. But it’s easy to understand that desire to just be.
I can’t imagine being famous, but it’s probably not that fun. There are obvious perks to it, of course. Jokic, for example, will never have to pay for a meal in Denver again. The same probably goes for back home in Serbia, too. But imagine just stepping outside and having to take pictures or be recorded or sign autographs. That stuff is great and, I’m sure, he appreciates it at times. But there have to be other times when it’s exhausting.
Shoutout to Jokic giving us a bit more perspective on his feelings here. It’s good to hear more from him like this. It’ll help us have a better understanding of who he is as a person and how to cover him moving forward.
Hopefully, someday, he can find a happy medium.
Lonzo Ball otw back
It’s been years since we’ve seen Lonzo Ball healthy on a basketball court. Truth be told, we probably still won’t see that this season — the Bulls ruled him out at the top of the year.
However, ESPN’s Jamal Collier reports, Ball is expected to begin running again starting in January. That’s a major step forward in his rehab process.
“Ball, who has been rehabbing in Los Angeles, was in Chicago last week to check in with the team. He has not played in an NBA game since Jan. 14, 2022, and has had three separate arthroscopic knee surgeries since. Yet, following a cartilage transplant in March, Ball arrived to training camp saying he was optimistic about his recovery and vowing to play again.”
Ball has been limited to stationary workouts since having his knee surgically repaired. Being able to run on it again would be a huge deal. It wouldn’t speed up his timetable at all, but it would show that his knee is stable and he’s finally ready to ramp things up again
There’s no telling when Ball will be back, but this is more than welcome news. Get well soon, Zo. We’re rooting for you.
Shootaround
— The story of Shaq getting his deal with General Insurance is pure COMEDY. Here’s Blake Schuster with more.
— Victor Wembanyama hates Las Vegas. I really can’t say I blame him.
— It’s time for the Knicks to put more faith in Immanuel Quickley. Bryan Kalbrosky has more for you here.
— Dante Exum channeled his inner Dennis Rodman on this incredible hustle play and you absolutely need to see this.
That’s all, folks! Thanks so much for reading Layup Lines today. We appreciate you. Please, be safe heading into the new year. We’ll catch you in 2024! Until then, peace.
-Sykes ✌️