After leading the Denver Nuggets to a dominant 120-101 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 7, securing their place in the Western Conference Semifinals, Nikola Jokic was ready to celebrate. But during his postgame interview on Inside the NBA, he was caught off guard by a hilariously unexpected question from Charles Barkley.
As the Nuggets wrapped up their victory, cameras captured a lighthearted moment between Jokic and teammate DeAndre Jordan—a quick celebratory cheek kiss on the sideline. The gesture, common in Serbian culture, was meant as a sign of appreciation between teammates.
“It’s a Serbian thing. He wants to be a Serbian, so I got to let him have a little piece”,
However, when Jokic joined the TNT crew for his postgame interview, Barkley decided to have some fun with the moment. With his signature blunt humor, Barkley asked:
“Is that the ugliest person you ever kissed in your life?”
Jokic, visibly taken aback, paused before responding with a simple,
“No… actually, hmm.”
His reaction—confused yet amused—sent the Inside the NBA crew into fits of laughter, with Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson all enjoying the exchange.
“Is that the ugliest person you ever kissed in your life?”
Joker’s reaction to Chuck’s question is priceless 🤣 pic.twitter.com/yvDY3KcNlI
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 4, 2025
Despite the comedic moment, Jokic remained locked in on the task ahead. When asked whether last year’s Game 7 loss had influenced his mindset, he dismissed the idea, stating:
“Me personally, zero. I don’t think about failures; I don’t think about something that happened one year ago. My whole focus, my whole energy is today, to this moment, to be present.”
With the Clippers behind them, the Nuggets now turn their attention to their next challenge—the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals.
