Introduction
In this blog post, we will be discussing the remarkable achievements of Nikola Jokić, the center for the Denver Nuggets in the NBA. We will explore how his unique skills and approach to the game of basketball can be applied to the field of business law.
About Nikola Jokic
Let’s talk about Nikola Jokić. For those of you who do not follow pro basketball, here’s the thumbnail sketch: Denver Nuggets center, two-time MVP (finished second this season), five-time All-NBA, last week he became the first player in the NBA’s 76-year history to score 30+ points, pull down 20+ rebounds, and rack up 10+ assists in a Finals game.
Last night he led the Denver Nuggets to their first NBA Championship while being named MVP of the Finals. He was the first player in NBA history to lead all players in the playoffs in scoring, rebounding, and assists.
That, though, doesn’t scratch the surface or explain why we’re writing about him.
Where to start? He’s Serbian, he was asleep when the Nuggets drafted him in the second round in 2016, a friend had to wake him up with the news. Rumor is he went back to sleep.
He went in the second round because despite being 7 feet tall and a top European player he was considered, well, soft. Another rumor: he couldn’t do more than a couple of pushups. On film, he looked like he barely moved on the court. He never seemed to actually work up much of a sweat when he played. He didn't trash talk; he wasn't animated at all when he played. He had skills that's seven footers don't normally have - for some reason it seemed to make it harder to accept him.
Mad Skills that Translate
The terrific sportswriter, Louisa Thomas, summed it up like this:
There was his body first of all, with its weird match of size and softness, his gaping mouth, and his raptor’s vision. Then he started to do extraordinary things. He looks first not to shoot, perhaps not even to pass, but to imagine all the ways that his team might score, and then manifests the best one.
Unflappable, Unperturbed, One Goal
There were times in the finals where he was surrounded by three sometimes four players but you'd never know it by looking at his face, he never loses his composure – for him, it's just the normal course of business and he deals with it.
Another reporter: “When he is on the court, no matter the circumstance, he seems to control time. He moves where he wants, when he wants, while every other player is slicing around the court in a frenzy.”
‘Unperturbed,’ ‘unruffled,’ are common in any description of Jokic.
It is often pointed out that he is the epitome of the John Wooden quote, ‘Be quick, don’t hurry’ . . . until, that is, action is called for. Here is a description of Jokic in the Conference Finals against the Lakers when LeBron James threatened to take over the game:
Suddenly, there it was, the whole arsenal. Deflections, rebounds, and orbital jump shots. Scooping, angling passes. Jokic dribbled up the court, a commanding, surveying point guard. He methodically backed down a Lakers defender. Time seemed to grind to something near a standstill. Then Jokic spun, twirled, and sped briefly to the basket to knock in a soft layup as if it were a one-inch putt.
The Zen of Jokić
We started writing this with the theme of the ‘Zen of Jokic’ – wait patiently, clear the mind, calm the body, see the opening, strike. That’s Jokic.
But then we ran across the concept of “Prospective inference” in another piece on Jokic. What is it? The analogy is that it’s like “a cheetah’s amplified ability to scan terrain and extrapolate the possible escape routes of prey.” Translated to basketball and it’s the “skill to predict the future movements of opponents and teammates.”
Jokic and Business Law
Jokic is two, three, four moves ahead of the competition. That means he has contingencies for contingencies as things change.
Implacable, unperturbable, ‘be quick, but don’t hurry,’ smart, vision, act fast and hard when needed, think steps ahead, do . . . everything a great business attorney should be.
Everything a great business attorney and firm needs to be:
- Implacable, Unperturbed when a client has an emergency
- Steps ahead in planning, contract negotiations
- The ability to stop and pivot on a dime when circumstances change
- The willingness – along with the necessary talent – to ‘drop the hammer’ for a client when all else is failing.