Earlier this summer, Nikola Jokić generated significant buzz by declaring his plan to play through the upcoming season without agreeing to a new deal with the Denver Nuggets.
Although the three-time league MVP maintains that he intends to remain with Denver for his entire career, until a contract is officially signed, fans and analysts will remain somewhat nervous about his path. While the majority of people have evaluated the potential impact of his agency status from an NBA standpoint, Greek billionaire Dimitrios Giannakopoulos, the owner of Panathinaikos of the Greek League, is wishing that the superstar might contemplate leaving the United States for European basketball.
Speaking on the Euro Insiders podcast, Giannakopoulos asserted that he had already attempted to buy out the remaining portion of Jokić’s current deal with Denver—worth $121.8 million over two seasons, including a player option for the 2027-28 campaign—but was turned down. Nevertheless, he intends to make another run at signing him next season.
“There is one specific athlete who represents a dream of mine, whom I have not secured yet but will secure next season… That is Jokić! He is the premier player on the planet! … I know people will assume I am just kidding,” Giannakopoulos remarked following the laughter of the hosts. “I presented a highly genuine offer this season to both his representatives and the organization. I was turned down. I understand he has another season left on his deal… This was meant to be his final season under the current terms. I attempted to purchase his remaining year. They barely took a moment to dismiss it—essentially saying, ‘Who? Greece? What place? No thanks, goodbye.’ However, we shall see what happens next year.”
In all likelihood, this is simply a wealthy owner fantasizing about landing the premier basketball player on Earth, yet observers within NBA circles have occasionally speculated whether Jokić might head back to Europe to play near his homeland earlier in his career than anticipated. His deep affection for his native Serbia is highly documented—exemplified by the time he received an MVP award in his home country right after spending time with his cherished horses—and though he might only see himself playing for Denver within the NBA, Giannakopoulos remains hopeful that a European return is still a possibility.
Even if the Serbian center harbors a desire to compete in Europe down the line, walking away during his peak physical years seems highly improbable, especially when considering the massive financial offer coming from Denver next season. To lure him away, Panathinaikos would need to present a deal lucrative enough to convince him to walk away from a historic five-year, $360 million contract extension that the Nuggets are set to offer him next offseason.
By comparison, the top-earning athlete in European basketball last season pulled in $5.6 million (Vasilje Mičić, Hapoel Tel Aviv), while Panathinaikos handed Kendrick Nunn $5.3 million as the second-most lucrative salary on the continent. Since Jokić is poised to earn over $70 million annually, bridging such a massive financial divide seems nearly impossible. For the moment, this serves as entertaining summer speculation and might offer Jokić a unique bargaining chip to use with Denver’s front office as he encourages them to maintain a championship-caliber roster around him.
