No, we're not talking about Jamal Murray's epic game-two buzzer-beater over the Los Angeles Lakers on April 22, which put the Denver Nuggets up 2-0 in their first-round playoff series.
Instead, it's an alleged punch from one of the Jokic brothers — Strahinja Jokic, the oldest — to some poor sap in the stands that has sparked international headlines.
The purported scrum was caught on cell-phone video and posted to TikTok by a user named @cgallegos67. They posted the clip with a caption saying, "Jokic brothers going wild."
@cgallegos67 #nuggets #nba #lakers #jokic ♬ original sound - Christian
Today, April 23, the Denver Police Department tells Westword that police are probing the incident and "actively working" to identify the person in the video who was purportedly struck by Strahinja. The NBA is reportedly looking into what happened, as well.
"The Denver Police Department is aware of the video circulating on social media that appears to have happened Monday night at the Denver Nuggets game," the DPD says. "The incident was not reported to Denver Police at the arena or after the game was over, and at this time, no one has come forward as a victim."
In the video, Strahinja purportedly kicks and punches a male fan as the man jaws back and forth with the six-foot-eight behemoth for an unknown reason. Strahinja appears to throw a kick and a punch, landing the latter.
The much-smaller fan takes Strahinja's purported haymaker like a champ, barely nudging and gaining the approval of social media with countless posts applauding his chin — as well as asking questions about what started the Ball Arena beef.
Nikola's wife, Natalija Jokic, can be seen on video wearing a red jacket as she tries to de-escalate the situation while holding their one-year-old daughter, Ognjena.
Strahinja Jokic appeared to jump over a row of seats to get to the fan in question.
TikTok/@cgallegos67
Strahinja and Nikola's other brother, Nemanja, have become local legends to Denver Nuggets fans. The two of them have had numerous spats with fans and shouting matches with players in defense of their baby bro, with their antics often being caught on camera and lauded by celebrities and former athletes.
“I saw a clip of his brothers talking smack to Jack Nicholson," Shaquille O'Neal said during an episode of The Big Podcast With Shaq last year after the Nuggets swept the Lakers in the 2023 Western Conference finals.
"You see how big they is? [Jokic] got two big brothers like that — that equals he ain’t no punk. That’s what that mean. That’s why he playing [good] like that, because he ain’t no punk."
On the surface, it's easy to assume that the Jokic brothers are nothing more than Nikola's goons, with countless people calling the Serbian brutes out online over the years. But having the Joker's back is something that runs deep in the family's psyche. Strahinja and Nemanja typically attend every game he plays during the regular season and playoffs.
"Basically [they have been with me] my whole life," Nikola told reporters in May 2023 ahead of the NBA finals.
"My mom and dad was always supporting [me], my dad especially. He always thought that I could be something more. ... Then when I go to the other city, and kind of my older brother [Strahinja] took that role and kind of he lived with me, and then we came to the United States, and then my brother Nemanja, who lives here before, seven years, I think, or nine years, it's like fifteen years, we get together, and it's just a nice journey."
Speaking to Sports Illustrated in 2017, the Jokic brothers talked about their childhoods, saying their lives focused on camaraderie and a passion to compete. Nikola shared what would become the legendary Strahinja knife story.
"He once held down my arms and threw knives all around my head," Nikola told SI of his big bro, noting how it was punishment for not climbing a tree like Strahinja had asked him to. "That was a little crazy."
While most of the news surrounding the Jokic brothers has been basketball-related, Strahinja has found himself on the wrong side of the law at least once in the past: He was arrested in 2019 for allegedly choking and pushing a woman. He later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of obstruction of phone service and felony trespassing and had his other charges dismissed.
Police are asking anyone with information about the game-two incident and the person who was punched, as well as any witnesses, to contact the DPD.
