Mike Miller recently shared the backstory behind Nikola Jokic’s iconic nickname and work ethic during his appearance on Podcast P with Paul George.
Reflecting on their time together with the Denver Nuggets, Miller said he saw signs of greatness in Jokic even as a rookie.
“I’m not going to sit here and say he was going to be this guy,” Miller said. “But I knew he had All-Star and Hall of Fame type talent.”
The former NBA forward said Jokic’s feel for the game stood out immediately, calling his poise and passing vision something he had never seen before.
“When that ball hit his hands—it’s like The Matrix, man. [Expletive] just froze,” Miller said. “He made so many people better.”
Miller recalled his early impression after joining the Nuggets late in training camp, telling staff, “I don’t know who that fat ugly kid is over there, but he’s your best player.”
While some doubted it at the time, Miller stood firm. “Everyone plays with a little more confidence, a little more swag. He’s making them better,” he said.
The origin of Jokic’s nickname, “The Joker,” also came up during the conversation, with Miller revealing he created it out of necessity.
“I couldn’t say ‘Jokic’—‘Pass the [expletive] ball!’ So I said, ‘Joker, pass the ball!’” he said, laughing. “And his personality and the way he plays—it’s like a joker.”
Miller added that the name fit both Jokic’s style and demeanor, saying, “Every time I saw him, I was like, ‘Man, that’s a joke.’”
Though he joked about missing the chance to trademark it, Miller acknowledged the nickname stuck. “He making $75 million—he don’t need that. Joker going crazy in Serbia right now,” he said.
Addressing the narrative that Jokic is indifferent about basketball, Miller pushed back strongly.
“That man literally was… there every single day at the same time with his trainer Auggie in Denver, doing the same thing every single day,” he said.
Miller compared Jokic’s preparation to that of Kyrie Irving and Ray Allen, emphasizing that the flashy plays stem from repetition.
“Those little floaters… he shoots that thing a thousand times, a million times,” Miller said. “No, he worked on that.”
He closed by calling Jokic “a grinder in the gym” and stated plainly, “That’s why he’s—I think—what, the best player in basketball.”
