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Stephen A. Smith, the outspoken host of ESPN's First Take reacted to Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic’s video of him celebrating his horse race win in Serbia which went viral. The video showed Jokic dancing and holding a trophy, seemingly more excited than he was after winning the NBA title and the finals MVP last month.
Jokic’s passion for horse racing has been a well-known aspect of his life outside of basketball. His love for these majestic creatures and the thrill of the track led him to become an avid equestrian enthusiast and eventually an active participant in the horse racing world. Jokic was seen celebrating with a big trophy in his hands, dancing to Serbian music, which is a rare sight.
Watch Nikola Jokic celebrates horse race win:
Smith, who is known for his hot takes and controversial takes, however, refuted the opinions that he did not care about his NBA title as he said, “That’s not about him caring about a horse race more than his NBA Championship, that’s about him being around his people.”
Smith mentioned that it's a relatable feeling as he added, "We can all relate to that. When you are around your people it just makes a difference. You can love everybody in the human race but when you are home it makes a difference." Smith went on to signify the importance of the people around Jokic and how being ‘around the people that you love matters more than just celebrating’. He also said, “He is hanging around in Serbia with his peeps, we understand that and I respect it.”
On the court, Jokic led his Denver Nuggets to their first-ever NBA championship title in franchise history while also being named the NBA Finals MVP for the first time in his career, the first center to win this award since Shaquille O'Neal in 2002.
The title also comes after an amazing postseason run that saw the Nuggets win 16 of those 20 games. Jokic compiled 600 points, 269 rebounds and 190 assists in that stretch and led the postseason in all three categories. However, Jokic will sit out of the FIBA World Cup on account of fatigue and will be back for the next NBA season.
