There has been a lot of talk lately between buddies of mine about the 21-year-old Nikola Jokic, a guy from our hometown (Sombor, Serbia) who has achieved tremendous success over the past three and a half years.
Not only has he managed to get picked by the Denver Nuggets in the 2014 draft after having played basketball for only two years professionally; he is now killing it in the NBA. From being a round 2 pick, in just several months he has risen to being one of the most prospective rookies in the League, earning him a place in the World Team for the 2016 Rising Stars Challenge. On top of all, he is receiving widespread critical acclaim for his ball handling and shooting abilities, as well as his in-game intelligence.
Just recently, a several nicknames started appearing on the internet: The Joker, Big Honey and Serbian Sensation. “The Joker” seems to have caught traction as it was picked up by some NBA commentators. Its origin is unknown, but my guess is that besides the spelling resemblance to his surname, it could either be attributed to A) the fact that he is playing exceptionally on all positions (the Joker as a wild card can substitute any other card); or B) the smiles he puts on people’s faces when he pulls off some smooth moves not usually associated to players of his position (center), as if he were joking.
Anyhow, all this has inspired me to do this little mind excercise and to think of how his nickname could be turned into a symbol and the accompanying equipment which could be used for example during the All Star weekend.
THE RESULT is a “NJ” (nj) monogram which constitutes a smiling/winking face of a Joker, a customized pair of Nike Hyperdunk 2014 shoes (a model he seems to be fond of), Nike socks and T-shirt all featuring an abstract pattern composed of graphical elements found on various playing cards.
