Bogdan Bogdanovic explained why teammate Nikola Jokic refuses to speak with the media following Serbia’s overtime thriller over Australia in the Olympics

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has always attempted to avoid the media throughout his NBA career, and he has taken it to the next level at the 2024 Paris Olympics, refusing to speak to the press entirely.

Eight teams advanced out of the group stage and entered the knockout stage – a single-elimination format to continue their quest for Olympic gold.

Team USA remains the odds-on favorite, entering the quarterfinals as the No. 1 seed after going undefeated in Group C with the tournament’s best point differential, outscoring Serbia, South Sudan and Puerto Rico by a combined 67 points.

The Americans cruised past Brazil in their first game of the knockout stage with a dominant 122-87 victory. After finally performing well over the weekend against Puerto Rico, Embiid dazzled yet again today against Brazil, dropping 14 points on 5-6 shooting from the floor and 3-3 shooting from beyond the arc to go along with 7 rebounds.

Joel Embiid, Team USA advance following win over Brazil >>

The United States will shift focus back to Nikola Jokic and Serbia

THE SEMIFINALS ARE SET 🚨

USA 🇺🇸 vs. Serbia 🇷🇸

France 🇫🇷 vs. Germany 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/gd5kjnUfPm

— Overtime (@overtime) August 6, 2024

Nikola Jokic and Serbia erased a 24-point deficit to beat Australia in overtime. He finished with an impressive 21/14/8 and 4 steals in the win. However, after the game, Jokic once again refused to speak to reporters.

Nikola Jokic's DOMINANT performance in #Paris2024 leads Serbia into the semifinals 💪

His near triple-double helped erase a 24-point deficit and secure the OT win!

🇷🇸 21 PTS | 14 REB | 8 AST | 4 STL 🇷🇸 pic.twitter.com/XpSLrFZ6vZ

— NBA (@NBA) August 6, 2024

Team captain Bogdan Bogdanovic spoke on the behalf of his teammate after the game, letting them know that Jokic’s refusal to speak with the media wasn’t personal, but simply because he was required to as players are during the NBA season.

Bogdan Bogdanovic on Nikola Jokic’s Media Blackout

Serbia's Bogdan Bogdanovic on why teammate Nikola Jokic hasn't talked with the media at the Olympics: “He’s great, but he only likes to talk to me, you know that. In the NBA, if he doesn’t talk to media, he’ll get fined. But here (in the Olympics), there are no fines. So he says,…

— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) August 6, 2024

“He’s great, but he only likes to talk to me, you know that,” said Bogdanovic of Jokic. “In the NBA, if he doesn’t talk to media, he’ll get fined. But here (in the Olympics), there are no fines. So he says, ‘I don’t need to.’ No offense to you guys.”

In the overtime period, Jokic carried Serbia, making key plays to prevent Australia from pulling away. He hit a critical go-ahead shot with 1:10 remaining, followed by a tough fadeaway jumper to extend the lead to three with under 30 seconds to play.

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