Report: Nikola Jokic’s brother charged with third-degree assault for punching man in face during Lakers game

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic’s brother Strahinja has reportedly been charged with third-degree assault for punching a man on April 22, when the Nuggets faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

According to the Denver Post, Strahinja Jokic appeared in Denver County Court on Wednesday regarding a misdemeanor assault charge. A judge allegedly ordered him to stay away from the assault victim, who claimed that he sustained a concussion along with cuts and bruises on his face as a result of the physical altercation.

The judge also called for Strahinja Jokic to complete fingerprinting and make a return to court in the month of October.

Nikola Jokic’s older brother allegedly told police that he felt as though he hadn’t done anything wrong and claimed he was trying to protect an older man whom he’s known for quite some time.

Strahinja Jokic has had more than one run-in with the police in his life. Back in 2019, he was charged with assault after he supposedly choked and pushed a woman and then halted her from calling 911. He pleaded guilty to a felony count of trespassing along with a misdemeanor charge of obstructing phone service in that case.

However, the trespassing charge was dismissed in the year 2022 after he successfully followed court rules for unsupervised probation and did not commit another crime for two years.

Nikola Jokic’s team — the Nuggets — came out on top against the Lakers during the night when Strahinja Jokic assaulted a man, but the game went down to the wire. Denver won the game by just two points to take a 2-0 series lead after star Nuggets guard Jamal Murray hit a step-back jumper as the final buzzer sounded.

For much of the contest, it seemed as if the Lakers were primed to tie up the best-of-seven series at one game apiece. Los Angeles led by as many as 20 points in the second half, and the Nuggets had no answers defensively for the Lakers’ dynamic duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who combined to score 58 of Los Angeles’ 99 points as a team.