Breaking: Nikola Jokić’s Brother Faces Legal Trouble After Heated Nuggets Game Clash
Strahinja Jokić, who is the brother of Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić, appeared in Denver County Court on Wednesday regarding a misdemeanor assault charge and was issued a protection order requiring him to stay away from the alleged victim.
Shelly Bradbury of the Denver Post reported Thursday the charge stems from an April fight at Denver’s Ball Arena during a game between the Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers.
In addition to the protection order, Jokić must return to court in October to enter a plea and complete fingerprinting.
He is facing the third-degree assault charge after video appeared to show him punch a man inside the stadium after what police described as a “verbal exchange.” The alleged victim spoke to police and said he suffered a concussion, as well as cuts and bruises on his face.
Jokić, who was charged in July, said he was defending an older man he knew.
The older brother of the Nuggets star also ran into legal trouble in 2019 when he was “charged with assault and accused of choking and pushing a woman, then preventing her from calling 911,” per Bradbury.
He ended up pleading guilty to a felony count of trespassing and a misdemeanor charge of obstructing phone service, although the trespassing charge was dismissed in 2022 after he completed the terms of following court rules for unsupervised probation and not committing any other crimes for two years.
False imprisonment and assault charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement in that case.
Jokić is often seen sitting courtside at Nuggets games and has participated in celebrations on the floor with his brother and the team after playoff victories.