Nikola Jokic has been named to Serbia's preliminary Olympic roster

Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets superstar, was named to Serbia's preliminary 16-man squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics on Monday, putting an end to speculation that he will boycott the basketball competition. With more than a month until the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, it's apparent Nikola Jokic will compete. 

Svetislav Pesic, the Serbian national team's head coach, has published the 16-man Olympic candidature list, which includes Jokic. Vasilije Micic, a Charlotte Hornets guard and former EuroLeague MVP, is also on the roster, along with Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic, Atlanta Hawks shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Hornets forward Aleksej Pokusevski.

The roster will begin training camp on June 24th, with the first friendly games scheduled for July 5th and 7th against the Netherlands and Turkey, respectively. The three-time NBA MVP has already missed several significant international competitions due to lengthy NBA seasons.

Nikola Jokic won Olympic silver with Serbia

However, Nikola Jokic's current NBA season ended earlier than planned, as last year's winners were ousted in the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He has spent the previous few weeks rafting with his buddies and brothers. Jokic may have found it simpler to make this choice since he had a little more time between the end of his NBA season and the start of the Olympics after the Nuggets were ousted in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. 

In 2022, Jokic made his final appearance for Serbia in the EuroBasket competition. He was a part of Serbia's 2016 Olympic silver-winning team. Serbia will next go to Lyon to play France on July 12th. To complete the preparation cycle, Serbia will face Australia on July 16th and Team USA on July 17th in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Finally, Serbia will face Japan in a home game on July 21st at the iconic Belgrade Arena.