‘When I finish my career, I really wish nobody knows me’

Nikola Jokic is the one of the top superstars in the NBA, but it sounds like he wishes he wasn’t.

The defending NBA Finals MVP made headlines after winning his first title when he didn’t sound very excited about the championship parade.

Jokic keeps a low profile as best as he can, but it’s been difficult considering he’s one of the faces of the NBA and stands 7 feet tall.

Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets looks to pass during the first half against the Miami Heat in Game 3 of the 2023 NBA Finals at Kaseya Center June 7, 2023, in Miami, Fla.  (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

The two-time NBA MVP is noticed everywhere he goes, and while it does sound nice, he says it’s not as fun as everyone thinks it is.

“Being famous, some people like it, some people don’t. When I finish my career, I really wish nobody knows me. I wish my kid or kids in the future … remember me as a dad. I think that’s gonna be my goal in life,” Jokic told “Curious Mike,” a podcast hosted by his teammate, Michael Porter Jr.

“I really don’t like this life because, at the end of the day, we are just basketball players. We are just good at what we are doing. But the media is something that is around us, and, of course, we are getting paid because of the media, because of our popularity.

Nikola Jokic speaks during the Denver Nuggets’ victory parade and rally at Civic Center Park June 15, 2023, in Denver, Colo., after winning the 2023 NBA championship. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

“It just feels sad, whenever you go to the bar, restaurant, some game, people are just taking their phones out and trying to record you. I think that’s really, I’m going to say, rude. It’s not that I’m out showing myself; I’m just who I am.”

Jokic also has another “big goal” in mind of getting rid of his cell phone.

“To not have a phone, that’s another big goal of mine. Just to live in the moment, be a normal person,” he said. “Go drink with your buddy or go have lunch or go play with your kids or go ride horses, and nobody’s going to make a big deal of that.”

Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets prepares to shoot a free throw during Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Western Conference finals May 18, 2023, at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo.  (Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)