"I Was Open": Nikola Jokic Reacts To Aaron Gordon's Highlight Dunk

Nikola Jokic is known as “The Joker” for more reasons than one. Every now and then, the Denver Nuggets superstar showcases a dry sense of humor with timing as excellent as his mind-blowing passes.

Such was the case last Friday after the Nuggets blew out the Golden State Warriors, 129–104, in NBA Cup action. In the post-game media session, Jokic was asked to give his thoughts on a highlight dunk by his teammate, Aaron Gordon, midway through the third quarter.

With an apparently puzzled look on his face, Jokic said, “I really don’t remember.” He then turned to Aaron Gordon, who was a few feet away from him in the locker room, and asked, “When did you dunk?”

Gordon, who may have suspected that Jokic was putting on a show, put his head down and chuckled. With Jokic still “at a loss,” reporter Vinny Benedetto had no choice but to show him a clip of the spectacular play.

Here’s how the play went down: At the 5:04 mark of the third quarter, Gordon had the ball in his hands and tried to shake free of Buddy Hield’s defense. No less than Jokic himself set a screen, but Hield fought through it, forcing Gordon to bust out some behind-the-back and crossover moves.

One particularly nasty dribble caused Hield to move to his right, freeing Gordon to drive down the middle. Warriors center Quinten Post, who’d been guarding Jokic, tried to contain Gordon’s drive, but the former Slam Dunk Contest icon had already built up a head of steam.

After watching the replay of Gordon’s powerful slam, Jokic had no compliments to offer. Instead, he expressed a complaint.

“I was open,” he said before walking away.

The media team exploded in laughter, which mirrored the good vibes in the locker room after the Nuggets’ 25-point blowout victory at home. It was their third consecutive victory, and they would push their winning streak to four with a 117–100 rout of the Indiana Pacers the next day.

Now, the Nuggets are tied with the San Antonio Spurs at second place in the Western Conference, as both teams hold a 7–2 record. Denver is off to a fine start this season, and fans are hoping that they will retain their impeccable execution for as long as they can. There are no guarantees, however, of Jokic retaining memories of his teammates’ spectacular dunks.