Nikola Jokić won’t play for Serbia at the FIBA World Cup next month after all.
Jokić, fresh off his NBA title run with the Denver Nuggets, has opted to skip the World Cup and continue resting this summer before the NBA season starts again in October, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Jokić has played for the Serbian national team three times since the Nuggets selected him with the No. 41 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. He competed in two World Cups, first in 2014 and again in 2019, and then again at last summer’s Eurobasket. Serbia finished ninth in that tournament.
Jokić, a two-time league MVP, averaged 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists last season while leading the Nuggets to their first NBA championship. He averaged 30.8 points and 13.5 rebounds during Denver’s 4-1 win over the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, and he had 10 triple-doubles throughout the playoffs.
The FIBA World Cup is set to start Aug. 25 in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. Seven teams will earn bids to the 2024 Olympics in Paris through the tournament.
The United States team released its 14-man roster for its Select Team ahead of the tournament Monday. That team will scrimmage against Team USA in the lead-up to the World Cup.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr will lead the American team, which includes Paolo Banchero, Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton, Brandon Ingram and Austin Reaves, among others. Erik Spoelstra, Tyronn Lue and Mark Few will serve as assistant coaches. Team USA will play in five exhibition games before opening against New Zealand in the World Cup on Aug. 26.
