Nikola Jokic Gave NBA Prospect Heartfelt Advice on Draft Night

The Nuggets center drew from his own experiences as a young player in the NBA.

Draft night is often second to none when NBA players are asked of their fondest memories. A lifetime of working finally culminates in a single phone call and a player’s life changes in an instant. Magic rookie Anthony Black is no exception and on Tuesday he shared a video from draft night where the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić made the night all the more special for him. 

Jokić, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, is coming off his best season yet and is widely considered to be one of the best players in the NBA at the moment. But it didn’t start out that way. He was a bit of a late bloomer and didn’t hit his stride until he played a couple of seasons in the NBA after getting selected with the No. 41 pick in the 2014 NBA draft. 

He appeared to leave Black a message and gave him some advice before Adam Silver called his name last Thursday. 

“It’s Joker, I just want to tell you good luck for today on the draft,” Jokić said. “But I gotta tell you, that doesn’t mean anything. I was 41st pick and nobody count on me, so whatever comes out today, don’t bother. Just work hard, surround yourself with good people that you trust and in the end, just work hard. Good luck, my friend.”  

Black, 19, was selected by Orlando with the No. 6 pick out of Arkansas after a freshman year where he averaged 12.8 points 5.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.