Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic is new captain of Team Serbia

Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic is arguably the best basketball player on Earth.

The three-time NBA MVP, who could have many more of those awards, is still competing at a ridiculously high level.

While some fans are quick to crown Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Victor Wembanyama as the top in the world, Jokic is coming off a season in which he averaged another triple-double. He finished second in MVP voting, putting up 27.7 points per game, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists.

Denver shockingly lost in the first-round of the NBA playoffs to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but the supporting cast around Jokic left a lot to be desired.

Regardless, there’s never been questions about Jokic’s skill, but some naysayers like to mention his leadership ability — or lack thereof.

That doesn’t appear to be the case for Team Serbia, who named Nikola Jokic its new captain on Tuesday.

According to “Mozzart Sport,” Jokic is the man for the job as Serbia attempts to qualify for next year’s FIBA World Cup in Qatar. Previous captain Bogdan Bogdanović is unavailable to play as he’s coming off injuries and is at a different point in his career.

New Serbian head coach Dušan Alimpijević praised Nikola Jokic.

“I told him. I am less concerned about how he reacted. I think that any other solution would be inexplicable. Who, if not him? There is no need to explain anything further,” Alimpijević said via Mozzart Sport.

Jokic now has the captain armband for Team Serbia as they play qualifiers against Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina in early July. That’s followed by a couple more games in August, then contests in November and February, which Jokic won’t be available for because he’ll be in the middle of the NBA season with the Nuggets.

Serbia’s next stretch of games with Jokic are critical for qualifying for the World Cup as the team is 2-2 so far.

This is an honor for Jokic — and should help put any silly narratives that he can’t lead to bed. Being the captain of a national team is a big deal and clearly Serbia thinks Nikola Jokic is up for the task.