Nikola Jokic: Giving up soda helped me become NBA MVP

Nikola Jokic has become an NBA MVP, but he apparently had to make some big lifestyle changes in order to get to that level.

The Denver Nuggets center spoke this week with Serbian television network Arena Sport and revealed the awful diet that he had before arriving in the NBA, namely drinking a whole lot of soda.

“I used to drink two or three liters of Coca-Cola every day,” said Jokic, as translated by Reuters. “I had my last can on the flight to the United States.

“The first week of practice [in the NBA] was tough,” Jokic went on. “All my teammates were more physical and athletic. They could slam-dunk any way you like, and I kind of wanted to go home.”

Jokic played professionally in Serbia for three years before coming to the NBA. He was an unheralded prospect at the time he was drafted, selected with the No. 41st pick by Denver in 2014. But Jokic rolled with the punches, got himself into shape and has now become one of the NBA’s best players.

Officially listed at 284 pounds, the three-time All-Star is still among the heftier guys in the league. He often pokes fun at his own frame, too. But it turns out that cutting out the sugary drinks may have really helped Jokic develop into the elite superstar that he is today.