Personal Brand Spotlight: Nikola Jokic
The NBA superstar shows how a personal brand can capture hearts without self-promotion.
He’s the five-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA MVP. And now, NBA Champion and Finals MVP. He’s quietly making his imprint on NBA history. And an even bigger impression on hearts worldwide. This blog will share what you can take away for your own personal brand.
There’s one name that’s had our house buzzing for the last few years - Nikola Jokić.
Outside of major events with high entertainment and social value, my partner had always been disinterested in following sports. And yet, he now knows the Denver Nuggets’ every stat. He watches every piece of content and owns nearly every piece of merchandise.
When the Nuggets won the 2023 Western Conference, they donned finals merchandise post-game. My partner jumped online to buy all he could. For friends, family and backups - just in case. After their 2023 championship win, the same ensued. All because one player first captured his heart.
My three-old niece now shouts “Go Nuggets!” And the latest Nuggets news lights up our family chat.
As they say, there’s no ‘I’ in ‘team’. It’s the Nuggets’ combined efforts that saw them take out the 2023 Western Conference - the first clean sweep in the franchise’s finals history. It’s the team that got them to their first-ever NBA finals. And it’s the team that made history in 2023, with their first-ever NBA championship. But, it’s Jokić that has everyone talking.
This speaks to core principles in personal branding. Business is personal. People connect with people. People buy from other people. And its personal connections that build brand trust.
In sport, an emotional connection is one of the best indicators of loyalty. And this is often best achieved through the personal brands of individual players.
In this blog, I’ll share key takeaways you can learn from Jokić’s personal brand. One that avoids any self-promotion, while simultaneously taking the world by storm.
A compelling personal story
In personal branding, your origin story can play an important role. It helps build a personal connection with your audience. And Jokić’s is a compelling tale.
He grew up in small-town Serbia in Sombor, with a population of approximately 40,000. There, he lived in a small two-bedroom apartment with his two older brothers, parents and grandmother.
Jokić always loved basketball, but his focus was divided with another great love (more on that later). It wasn’t until his late teens that he started to take basketball more seriously. Albeit, he lacked the athletic physique you'd expect from a soon-to-be NBA superstar. Even famously admitting to drinking three litres of Coca-Cola a day.
Yet, his efforts saw him drafted into the NBA. He was the 41st pick in the second round. ESPN didn’t even make the announcement. His drafting occurred during a Taco Bell commercial.
He went on to become a triple-double sensation, five-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA MVP. And was named 2023 NBA Finals MVP after the team sealed the championship - the lowest draft pick to ever claim the title. His efforts place him among the greatest the game has ever seen.
Offstage interests
Michael Hyatt highlights the three key stages you have:
Front stage: When you’re actually performing visibly. This is usually what others actually see.
Backstage: What you do to prepare for your on-stage time. This usually goes unseen.
Off stage: Seemingly unrelated to your work, but still essential. It prepares you to perform in the other stages.
Off-court, it’s Jokić’s love of horses that captures hearts. In the off-season, he spends his time back home in Serbia caring for his horses. He’s said that before basketball it was always about horses for him.
It’s an off-stage interest even the league has embraced. His team travelled to Serbia to surprise Jokić with his second NBA MVP trophy. As footage shows, Jokić was arriving back from his horse and carriage ride at the time. As many of his teammates understand, horses bring Jokić peace.
While your work is the content, your offstage activities provide context. People don’t just want your highlights reel. They want to know the character behind the achievements. And Jokić is quite the character.
A unique personality
Dubbed ‘The Joker’, Jokić has established a well-known persona in the league.
The nickname is said to have originated with former teammate, Mike Miller. He had struggled to pronounce the Serbian's last name. So, he coined his Americanised alternative instead.
The Joker personality has since taken on a life of its own, with his special Joker logo used on his Nike shoes. More than just a name and logo, his jovial nature translates into real life. Broadcast and his teammates regularly comment on his sense of humour. Which, for the most part, appears centred around never taking himself too seriously.
Values-oriented work
Amid all his success, Jokić’s values are abundantly clear. He’s what you get when extraordinary meets humility. Proving they are not mutually exclusive.
In Keep Going by Austin Kleon, he says of titles,
Job titles aren’t really for you, they’re for others. Let other people worry about them. Burn your business cards if you have to.
Amusingly, Jokić appears completely detached, even disinterested, in his individual titles. Caring more about his team and a purpose greater than himself. Some footage shows him appearing to not even know where his trophies are.
When asked about feeling any pressure entering the 2021-2022 season as the reigning MVP, he responded with:
“I couldn’t care less, brother, for real.”
A refreshing relief from some of his league counterparts. Some of whom have self-proclaimed themselves as the GOAT.
He famously plays an unselfish brand of basketball. Known for his prolific passing, he’s said to see his role as making his teammates better.
Despite making it to the big stage, Jokić is grounded in his roots. He married his childhood sweetheart. And plays with his wedding ring laced into his shoes.
After winning the 2023 championship, making NBA history he said,
“The job is done, we can go home now.”
So, especially if you hate self-promotion, how can you quietly leave your legacy in the world?
