"They Didn't Believe In A Fat Boy" - Nikola Jokic Had The Perfect Response To Being Drafted During A Taco Bell Commercial

Zach Beeker. Getty Images.

NBA history is littered with iconic moments that would go on to change the league forever. You may not have known it at the time, but you were witnessing something truly historic. In modern NBA history, the arrival of Nikola Jokic is one of those moments. 

Back in 2014, you had to be an absolute sicko to still be watching the NBA Draft once the picks started getting into the 40s. While the first round gets all the hype and the mass appeal, the 2nd Round is for the true basketball sickos. Considering 90% of the players selected in that round usually don't pan out to be anything in the league, it takes a special kind of deranged brain to willingly sit through those 30 picks. 

But sometimes, if you're lucky, you'll be present for one of the most influential moments in NBA history. Sometimes, a generational talent will be picked during a Taco Bell commercial. I am of course talking about the moment Nikola Jokic officially entered the NBA

At the time, outside of maybe 5 people I'm not sure anyone really paid attention to this pick. They most certainly did not think the Nuggets just drafted arguably one of the greatest players to ever do it. But that's the beauty of sports. It's not how you get your foot in the door, it's what you then do with your opportunity. Whether that means you were a high lottery pick or pick #41, if you can play, things will work themselves out.

In the 10+ years since, I don't think I've ever heard Jokic's take on this moment. Maybe he's addressed it before and I missed it, but I found his response incredible

You'll remember back in 2014 on Draft night the Nuggets traded the #11 pick (Doug McDermott) to the Bulls, and ended up both Jusuf Nurkic (#16) and Garry Harris (#19) before ultimately selecting Jokic at #41. I'm not totally sure if he's referencing the Nuggets or ESPN for not believing in the fat boy, but either way, let's have a look at how things have worked out

Ho hum, just a 7x All Star, 7x All NBA, 3x MVP, 1x WCF MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 1x Champion and a member of the 2015 All Rookie Team. Not bad for a fat boy! In addition to all the accolades, Nikola Jokic is also one of the true "must watch" players in the league. Every single night, he does shit on a basketball court that makes zero sense. Sometimes it's his insane passing

Sometimes it's his unguardable Sombor Shuffle

Sometimes it's full court heaves that only Jokic could possibly make

The point is, if there's a basketball game in which Nikola Jokic is participating in, you should be watching. That is of course if you enjoy watching a legendary player do legendary shit.

As we approach the new 2025-26 NBA season, we should not ignore the fact that Jokic and the Nuggets enter the season not just as title contenders, but with a roster that I would argue is even better than their 2023 title team. I could make the case that this is the best roster Nikola Jokic has ever played with, which should be very concerning for every other contending team in the league. The biggest problem the Nuggets have had during the Jokic Era is the fact that once he sits, the entire roster becomes hot dogshit. Losing the non-Jokic minutes by wide margins has been their achilles heel for years. Considering all the Nuggets need to do is be even in those minutes, the fact that their depth has vastly improved, and they've actually brought in a serviceable backup center means we may be about to witness this team go to a level we haven't seen before, and this is a team that just won a title! 

It also presents a great amount of pressure as well. With the improved roster and the best player in the world, barring any sort of season-ending injury or anything like that, there really are no excuses for the Nuggets this season. They have the talent, they have the experience, they have the depth. You could argue that had MPJ and Aaron Gordon not gotten hurt in the OKC series that the Nuggets could very well have been champions last year. Well, now it's time to back up that idea and get back to the top of the mountain in 2025-26. They are not one of those teams where just making the Finals would be considered a success, unlike teams like NYK, HOU, and CLE, among others. No no. For them, it's win the whole thing or bust. Especially with the Rockets losing FVV, the Nuggets are largely considered the greatest challenger to OKC, so it'll be up to them to prove it.

Advertisement

It just goes to show, sometimes the Basketball Gods work in mysterious ways. Perhaps their way of telling us your favorite team just drafted a monster in the 2nd round is to make sure their selection happens during a commercial. Is this maybe me trying to speak something into existence? It's hard to say really….