Strahinja Jokić, the elder sibling of Denver Nuggets basketball player Nikola Jokić, entered a guilty plea Friday regarding allegations arising from a physical altercation during an NBA postseason contest in April 2024. He admitted guilt to one charge of unlawful entry and another of disruptive behavior. His sentence includes a year-long probationary period.
The case garnered significant media coverage after a brief recording of the conflict was shared across various social media platforms subsequent to the Nuggets’ victory in Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers in the previous playoffs. The aforementioned recording, subsequently referenced in a formal police declaration establishing probable cause, seemed to display a spoken exchange involving the Jokić brothers and a spectator, after which one of the brothers physically struck the individual in the face.
Investigators recognized Strahinja Jokić as the individual responsible for delivering the blow. Official documentation from law enforcement indicates that he communicated to officers that he “did not believe he acted inappropriately given that he was ‘protecting a senior individual whom he has been acquainted with for an extensive period.'”
The older Jokić was originally accused of third-degree battery, however, he ultimately entered a guilty plea for reduced accusations as part of a settlement in the legal matter. The episode did not involve his younger brother, Nikola, who was participating in the playoff match at the time.
Jokić’s older brothers, Strahinja and Nemanja, habitually occupy positions adjacent to the court during Nuggets games and have functioned as protective figures throughout Nikola’s professional journey. This occurrence does not represent the initial instance of Strahinja encountering legal complications within Denver. In 2019, he was taken into custody for purportedly constricting the throat and shoving a woman amidst an altercation that took place within an apartment. He was formally charged with second-degree assault, unlawful confinement, and interference with telecommunication services, later acknowledging culpability in 2020 for felony unlawful entry and a misdemeanor offense of obstruction. The remaining allegations were rescinded.
The Jokić brothers have further been implicated in various widely publicized events associated with Nikola’s skirmishes occurring on the court. During 2021, they exchanged statements on social networking platforms alongside NBA participants Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris subsequent to a physical confrontation involving Nikola and Markieff during a competition against the Miami Heat. During the same year, a recording emerged displaying Strahinja and Nemanja yelling toward Phoenix Suns competitors from designated spectator seating subsequent to a forceful infraction entailing Nikola throughout the postseason.
Although Nikola Jokić has generally abstained from disputes, his brothers’ fervent backing has sometimes diverted focus away from the three-time MVP’s exceptional capabilities exhibited on the court.
