BELGRADE – (Staff and wire service report) – Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic will not play for Serbia at the upcoming FIBA World Cup, ESPN reported Monday.
The two-time Most Valuable Player will instead rest up following Denver’s run to the 2022-23 NBA championship. Jokic was NBA Finals MVP.
The World Cup opens on Aug. 25 and takes place in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Jokic, 28, previously competed for the Serbian national team at the 2016 Summer Olympics, the 2019 World Cup and EuroBasket 2022.
The 6-foot-11 center averaged 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists in 69 starts during the regular season. He averaged 30.0 points, 13.5 boards and 9.5 assists in 20 starts in the postseason.