BREAKING: Miroslav Raduljica reveals hilarious Nikola Jokic story from 2016 Olympics

mrbill | Sport

20/05/2025

Miroslav Raduljica shared a humorous Olympic story about Nikola Jokic, who, as Serbia’s youngest player in 2016, fetched McDonald’s for teammates. Raduljica praised Jokic’s charm and humility, highlighting his desire to avoid fame despite global stardom.

Serbian basketball veteran Miroslav Raduljica opened up about his time with Nikola Jokić on the national team in a recent appearance on Mondo Podcast.

Nikola Jokic

Reflecting on the 2016 Rio Olympics, Raduljica shared a humorous anecdote that highlights the now three-time NBA MVP’s humility, charm, and team-first mentality—even when it came to fetching burgers.

“Unfortunately for him, he was the youngest,” Raduljica laughed.

“At the Olympics, we sent him to McDonald’s because the food [in the village] was tragic. So, we opted for something even more tragic—just better-tasting. And there were huge lines.”

At that time, Jokic was far from the global superstar he is today. In fact, he was just beginning his international journey with Serbia, and, as the youngest member of the squad, he had to handle a few “special assignments.”

“It’s much more interesting to talk about his charm, because talking about his game and results is pointless—we’d just be beating a dead horse. Watch the games, look at his stats—it’s all there,” Raduljica continued.

“I was one of the older guys when he joined, and it was kind of my job to integrate him into the group. It wasn’t like in the old days when someone would smack the rookie and tell them to shut up. We were all normal guys. We respected authority, but there was no need for that kind of treatment.”

Raduljica recounted one moment that perfectly encapsulated Jokić’s personality.

“I was standing with my hand on my hip, and there’s this thing where the rookie comes and swats your hand away as a joke. He did that. My first instinct was to… you know… (laughs). But it was so charming. I didn’t even follow the NBA much. I had just come from there, and he hadn’t been yet. But everything he does, he does with such charm.”

Off the court, Jokic’s attitude remains low-key. Raduljica emphasized how much the Nuggets star dislikes the spotlight.

“If anyone’s ever seen him out of that easygoing mode, it’s only because all of that stuff really annoys him. I know him privately, and we don’t even talk about basketball or sports.

He just wants to stay away from it all—no interviews, no photoshoots, none of that crap. He’d rather be unknown, go to the Danube, hang out at a weekend house…”

Raduljica isn’t the only one who’s shared tales from Rio. A few years ago, teammate Stefan Jovic also confirmed the infamous McDonald’s runs:

“We really did send Jokic to McDonald’s. The food we were getting was awful, so we went for something even worse—but tastier.

We were on the fifth floor of the Olympic village, and we could see the giant line from the balcony. Teo [Milos Teodosic] would say, ‘Hey Joka, go to McDonald’s.’

And Jokic would say, ‘No problem, what do you want?’ Then he’d go around collecting orders. The poor guy would go down, wait for an hour, loaded with bags… and this happened every other day,” Jovic recalled.

Serbia eventually won the silver medal in Rio, losing to Team USA in the final.

Now, as Denver has been eliminated from the NBA playoffs, fans eagerly await Jokic’s decision on whether he’ll play in the upcoming EuroBasket. He’s promised to make up his mind—after a few days of beer drinking.

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