Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokić has publicly reiterated that he wants to spend the rest of his NBA career in Denver.
However, Dimitrios Giannakopoulos, the owner of Greek basketball powerhouse Panathinaikos, has apparently refused to give up on his dream of bringing the Nuggets star to Greece, making a bold attempt that caught the NBA world by surprise.
NBA World Stunned by Panathinaikos Owner’s Attempt to Sign Nikola Jokić
Jokić has yet to sign a contract extension with the Nuggets. The 31-year-old and his representatives reportedly intend to wait until the summer of 2027 before negotiating his next contract. By doing so, the three-time MVP could become eligible for a projected five-year, $359.5 million supermax extension with Denver.
Despite Jokić’s strong commitment to the Nuggets, Giannakopoulos revealed that he has already made a serious attempt to bring the Serbian superstar to Greece.
On the “Euro Insiders” podcast, the Greek businessman explained that Jokić remains one of his biggest dreams and claimed that he even tried to negotiate the final year of the center’s NBA contract.
“There is one player who remains a dream of mine, whom I haven’t signed yet, but I will sign next year,” Giannakopoulos said. “It’s Jokic, the best player in the world. I tried to buy out the last year of his contract, but I was rejected. Let’s wait for next year.”
Giannakopoulos also explained that he personally contacted Jokić’s agent, Miško Ražnatović, to determine whether there was any possibility of making the ambitious proposal happen.
“When I asked, he had a certain contract running. This was his last year, and I tried to buy out his last year. It took them a few seconds to say, ‘Who? Greece? Where? What? Bye.”
Jokić has a player option that would allow him to opt out after the 2027 season and potentially enter unrestricted free agency.
Still, a departure from the NBA appears highly unlikely, given Jokić’s commitment to Denver and the enormous financial rewards available to him by continuing in the NBA.
Meanwhile, Giannakopoulos’ ambitious attempt quickly became a major talking point among NBA fans.
“Yeah buddy, you’re not buying an elite athlete from any NBA team. The delusion is strong,” one fan commented.
Yeah buddy, you’re not buying an elite athlete from any NBA team. The delusion is strong.
— Jedidragonkingalt (@jedidragonking2) August 10, 2026
“This ignores that Jokic’s entire brand is built on not caring about the fame or the money. He’s more likely to retire and run his horse stables in Sombor than move to Athens for a paycheck,” a fan remarked.
Giannakopoulos had already attempted to bring another of Jokić’s former teammates, Jonas Valančiūnas, to Panathinaikos last year, an effort that eventually failed.
“The dude who couldnt even get Valanciunas last year? yeah ok,” a fan slammed.
“That’s a wild quote He’s not even talking about Jokic like a dream target anymore, he’s talking like getting rejected this year just delayed the signing by 12 months,” one user wrote.
Onyx Odds also joined the online reaction by sharing a humorous clip appearing to capture how the Nuggets might react to Giannakopoulos’s ambitious comments.
“Hey this is Panathinaikos over in Greece. We were wondering if Nikola—”
The Nuggets: pic.twitter.com/3CsIPLSnTY
— Onyx Odds (@OnyxOdds) August 10, 2026
Jokić is coming off another impressive season in which he finished second in the MVP voting behind Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Given his continued dominance, strong connection with Denver, and the financial advantages of remaining in the NBA, there appears to be little reason to believe Giannakopoulos will successfully lure the Nuggets superstar to Greece anytime soon.
