Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic And His Wife Natalija Were High School Sweethearts

Nikola Jokic is in a relationship with someone he knew before his days as an NBA star. The Denver Nuggets center is a native of Serbia, per Sportskeeda, who was drafted by Denver in 2014 and began playing for the team the following year. He's since scored the NBA MVP title twice and he's a five-time NBA All-Star.

In regards to his personal life, Nikola and his partner, Natalija Jokic, became engaged in January 2020, Natalija shared via Instagram in November 2020 with a throwback image. By October 2020, Nikola and Natalija had tied the knot in a ceremony that took place in Serbia, as Bleacher Report wrote. A month after the nuptials, Natalija posted images on social media to commemorate the occasion, such as a sweet photo of herself and Nikola dancing together on their wedding day. As NBA reported, Nikola ties his wedding ring to his shoelace for each basketball game he competes in so he can "always carry his family by his side." His and Natalija's deep connection started when they were still students.

Nikola Jokic and his wife, Natalija Jokic, have known each other since they were kids. Per People, Nikola and Natalija's relationship dates back to when they were teens, with the news outlet calling the two "high school sweethearts." Natalija's Instagram features several photos showing the earlier days of her courtship with Nikola. This includes a throwback picture of the two smiling for the camera back in 2012, which she posted in November 2020. Natalija additionally shared a photo of Nikola in 2014, writing to the Denver Nuggets star, "come just as you are to me, and I will love you unconditionally." 

A Bleacher Report article from 2017 revealed that Sombor, Serbia, is where Nikola and Natalija first encountered one another. At the time of this report, the love birds lived in a three-bedroom apartment with Nikola's two older brothers. Similar to her spouse, Natalija has a history in athletics. As Heavy previously wrote, Natalija was on the volleyball team at Seminole State College while studying at the university for two years. Following saying "I do," Nikola and Natalija have embarked on a journey as parents.

Nikola Jokic and Natalija Jokic are proud parents. In September 2021, Nikola talked to The Burlington Record about how he and Natalija were preparing to welcome their first child together. "Probably the highlight is we have a baby coming. That's probably the highlight of my season, [of] my life," Nikola said. He went on to state, "Whoever I talk to, they say it's the best thing that ever happened to them." Just days later, Essentially Sports wrote that Nikola and Natalija's daughter, whom they named Ognjena, had arrived.

In December 2021, Natalija posted a photo of herself on Instagram smiling at her baby shower leading up to Ognjena's birth. "Thank you 2021, you were my favorite so far," Natalija wrote. Five months later, she shared a picture of her, Nikola and Ognjena posing with Nikola's 2021 – 2022 Kia NBA MVP award. As Nikola and his Denver teammates will soon face Miami in the NBA Finals, per The Ringer, Nikola has documented his love for his family via Instagram. In May 2023, Nikola posted a picture of Natalija and Ognjena watching him play in a recent game and captioned it with a heartfelt quote. "I have something, at home, that is more important than basketball," Nikola said in reference to his wife and baby girl.