After expressing his disappointment in Denver Nuggets fans booing the home team, the superstar center Nikola Jokic was called out by the NBA legend Charles Barkley.
“We got booed at our first home game, and I think those fans who booed us, they don’t need to come anymore,” Jokic told reporters after a loss against the Golden State Warriors last week. “If you guys follow us, you know that we never quit and we’ve come back from much worse situations. So if they ask me, they are not welcome anymore.”
Jokic received a lot of pushback for his comments, but it didn’t cause him to walk it back. In fact, he doubled down.
“I’m sticking to what I said… I think they are not real fans,” he said days later.
NBA Legend Charles Barkley Calls Out Nikola Jokic For Viral Comments
“Him calling out the fans was like, because you know fans are sensitive. They’re like, screw you, we pay you all that money. We’ve been following you, and we love you. And he says, like, yeah, don’t come to the game. Like, no, you can’t play bad,” Barkley said on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
The NBA legend then recalled a recent game that his former team played, using it as an example to prove that Jokic has the wrong mindset.
“[Philadelphia 76ers fans] were booing like hell in the first half [against the Cleveland Cavaliers], and then the Sixers came back, and they were cheering. That’s how this thing works. We love you when things are going good. We’re gonna turn on you when things are going bad. I tell players all the time, you can’t come in here all sensitive. Like it’s like us as reporters. We’re gonna kiss your ass if you’re playing good, but when you play bad, we’re gonna criticize you. If you don’t understand how this relationship works, you’re just stupid.”
Denver Nuggets This Season
Before their NBA Cup action on Wednesday night, the Nuggets got off to a 1-2 start on the season.
Seeing as though they are expected to be one of the Western Conference’s top competitors, they got off on the wrong foot. However, it’s still early.
Nikola Jokic is expected to remain one of the league’s top players, while the Nuggets still have most of their core in place. The backlash from the viral comments will eventually blow over, but for the time being, Jokic finds himself under fire.
