Nikola Jokic doubles down on message to booing Nuggets fans

October 27, 2026

Nikola Jokic isn’t backing off. If Nuggets fans want to boo their own team, he’d prefer they find something else to do with their evening.

Denver’s star center stood by his criticism of the home crowd after Monday’s 134-114 loss to the Warriors, which dropped the Nuggets to 1-2.

“I’m sticking to what I said,” Jokic told reporters, via Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports. “I think they are not real fans.”

The comments followed boos during Saturday’s home opener, when Denver fell behind the Pelicans by 23 points before rallying to win in overtime. Jokic didn’t appreciate the reception.

“I think those fans who booed us, they don’t need to come anymore,” he said afterward, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “Because if you guys follow us, you know that we never quit and we came back from much worse or similar situations. If they ask me, they are not welcome anymore.”

Well, that’s certainly one way to address the crowd. You can understand Jokic defending a team that has delivered a championship and plenty of winning. You can also understand paying customers expecting a little more than another early double-digit deficit.

Monday didn’t help. The previously winless Warriors made 22 threes, and Denver never led after halftime. The Nuggets were missing four rotation wings, but the defensive breakdowns gave fans legitimate basketball concerns.

Coach David Adelman tried to keep both sides in the conversation.

“I think he’s earned the right to have an opinion. He’s had a lot of success here,” Adelman said, per Durando. “The fans and players, it’s communal. They feed off of each other.”

Winning would probably improve that relationship faster than another discussion about who qualifies as a fan. The Nuggets get their next opportunity Wednesday against the Pelicans.