Newly acquired Denver Nuggets center Jonas Valanciunas revealed an interesting conversation with superstar teammate Nikola Jokic

May 9, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) on the bench in the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder during game three of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

May 9, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) on the bench in the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder during game three of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Denver Nuggets made a splash earlier this offseason when they traded forward Dario Saric to the Sacramento Kings in a one-for-one swap for center Jonas Valanciunas. The trade didn’t come without controversy, however, as Valanciunas’ European agent had already committed to a contract with Greek club Panathinaikos before the trade between Sacramento and Denver occurred.

Once Panathinaikos learned that the Nuggets were pursuing Valanciunas’ services and that the trade wasn’t merely a salary dump, the club backed off and blamed the center’s agent in an effort to preserve a positive relationship with the Nuggets franchise and the NBA as a whole.

While the saga surrounding Valanciunas’ arrival ruffled some feathers in the Denver fanbase, things seemed to have smoothed over since he’s been with the team. Valanciunas especially seems to be building a good rapport with fellow European center Nikola Jokic and he even revealed an interesting conversation he had with the three-time MVP.

Connecting With Jokic

When asked by a reporter if he’s had the chance to talk to Jokic about the upcoming season since arriving in Denver, Valanciunas had a very predictable answer if you know anything about Nikola Jokic’s favorite off-the-court pastime.

“Yeah, we talked about horses,” Valanciunas said. “He gave me some advice.”

Jokic has long been a passionate horse owner, but this summer especially, he’s gone viral multiple times for his emotional and endearing reactions when one of his beloved horses wins a harness race. When one of Jokic’s horses won his hometown race in Serbia this summer, his post-race celebration showed an entirely new side to the typically stoic NBA star.

Valanciunas (Lithuania) and Jokic (Serbia) are both currently competing at EuroBasket, and both players are having a somewhat successful tournament. Lithuania and Serbia each finished the group stage with 4-1 records, earning knockout stage berths while falling short of a bye into the Round of 8.

Valanciunas and Lithuania handled Latvia in their Round of 16 matchup on Saturday morning, moving on to the Round of 8 against the winner of Greece vs. Israel. Jokic and Serbia are set to take on a dangerous Finland team featuring a red-hot Lauri Markkanen, with tip-off for the game scheduled for 2:45 ET/11:45 PT on Saturday.

Because of their team’s respective positioning in the bracket, the only round where Jokic and Valanciunas could potentially square off is in the championship game on Sept. 14.