Michael Porter Jr Reveals Nikola Jokic’s Hilarious And Unfiltered Advice After Trade

wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Porter_Jr.

The exchange of forward Michael Porter Jr. from Denver Nuggets to Brooklyn Nets saw one of the funniest and most intimate gestures of advice from the two-time MVP. In a land somewhere between locker-room comedy and real-life advice, Jokic laid it bare: “Make sure you wear a condom out there.”

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The utterance came in an interview where Porter Jr. described his goodbyes to his Nuggets teammates after the blockbuster trade that sent him to Brooklyn. He talked about how hard it was to leave players like Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, with whom he’d spent good years forging strong bonds, but then Jokic, the silent star and more often quiet leader, brightened the mood with his usual dry, off-kilter humor.

Porter went on to explain that they had maintained a group chat where the players expressed their feelings about his move. Most were messages of support, emotion, or words of encouragement. And then Jokic said: “The only thing Nicola said was, wrap it up out there in the evening. As long as he said, make sure you work. He said, make sure you wear condom out there. That’s all he said. That was his message. That was his goodbye to me.”

The attached photo skilfully captured the entire moment—kesyromtic and funny all at once. In the upper half is Porter Jr., smiling broadly, wearing a dark cap which bore the inscription, “MIRACLE ACADEMY,” grasping onto a basketball, with the words “GLORY DAZE” emblazoned behind. The picture below was authentic Nuggets-style, with two Nuggets in white sharing a moment, one very wide smile facing the DSLR, and the other has his back turned with “MURRAY 27” displayed boldly on his jersey. Above, the text parades Jokic’s immediately-viral pronouncement and returns the ambiance to the lighthearted side.

A classic Jokic move. A Serbian big man par-excellence and effectively among the NBA’s most distinct characters thanks to his satire, ridiculous interviews, and random one-liners. In some ways, whether it’s about horses, shunning the media in unusual ways, or dropping sporadic nuggets of wisdom during his post-game pressers: Jokic is one athlete who really has never fit the mold most athletes fall into. The up-to-date message is a natural extension of that: raw, honest, and oddly practical.

Porter Jr., having been a major contributor in Denver’s 2023 title run, obviously appreciated the humor and honesty in Jokic’s commentary. “Those are my guys who’ve been my family, but it’s the nature of the sport, and we’re going to stay in touch,” he added. This mixture of bonding and candidness is typical in professional sports, where relationships are intense but also impermanent, and humor becomes a way to discount with the change.

On the humorous surface, Jokic’s advice is much deeper, a strange combination of concern, brotherhood, and straightforward talk that few athletes ever share, at least not in public. In a league where the players are uprooting their lives from one city to another to try and adjust to a new environment to keep their minds off the challenges before them and a number of off-court distractions, Jokic’s message is nearly… protective? In his own weird way, he is trying to caution Porter to stay focused, stay safe and remember what is important.

Jokic became famous for his craziness on various occasions; from famously stating that he couldn’t wait to go back home after winning the NBA Finals to his never-ending deadpan comedy during interviews, Jokic has indeed perfected making things interesting without even trying. This is quite possibly one of the more memorable ones—both joking, warning, and farewell.

Porter Jr. is going to require a jump start for this next chapter, as he’s going to have to be one of the focal points of a Nets team in transition. With Jokic’s words ringing in his ears, memorable moments, both on and off the court, ain’t never gonna lack. At least he has Jokic’ blessing never to forget his condom.

Internet, naturally, had all sorts of opinions. In a fit of laughter, the social sphere exploded in admiration for Jokic’s unfiltered escapades. “Only Jokic could make a trade goodbye this iconic,” said one, while another one commented, “This is the most Jokic thing ever-zero emotion, all practicality.” A third chimed in, “Man’s out here giving life advice like a wise, slightly chaotic uncle.” These perceptions cast some light on the appeal of Jokic’s personality-fans adore him because of his weirdness, not in spite of it.

On the larger NBA-culture level, moments such as this one breathe life into the NBA. There are real people behind all the highlight reels, contracts, and trades, sharing inside jokes with each other, having a past between themselves, and their own ways of coming to terms with a change. Jokic’s message is a reminder that even the absurd ones are just guys looking out for each other, one weird text at a time.

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Starting to adjust to his new role in Brooklyn will be only the beginning of the memories for Michael Porter Jr.; an ensuing championship run will surely contribute to that and certainly includes one of the most bizarre and heartwarmingly sentimental send-offs of all time in NBA history. Thanks, Nikola. Never change.