Nikola Jokic's NSFW Message for Referee Revealed

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was ejected for profane language

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was ejected from Tuesday night's game vs. the Chicago Bulls after just one technical foul. The ejection was shocking, as Jokic did not seem to do anything worth getting ejected for, but crew chief Mark Lindsay revealed in a pool report that Jokic used language that met the standard for an ejection.

In a report from Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic, it was revealed that Jokic told the official, "Motherf--ker, call the f--king foul."

The magic word that preceded Jokic’s directive to the official: “motherfucker.”

— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) December 13, 2023

It's not common that players are ejected for language like this, as it usually warrants a technical foul and nothing else unless it persists. That said, the official felt Jokic's language met the standard for an ejection, and that was the decision that was made. 

In the pool report, Lindsay told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, "To be clear, Jokic was ejected after one technical foul because he directed profane language at the official that by our standards warranted an ejection... We don’t typically publicly get into exactly what a player said, but the language reached the standard for an ejection."

Jokic did not agree with the decision, nor did Nuggets head coach Michael Malone. There seems to be a level of inconsistency when it comes to how different officials and officiating crews handle situations like this, as those words from Jokic are not always an automatic ejection.

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