Details emerge on when Nikola Jokic is expected to retire

Nikola Jokic appears to be giving himself a shelf life.

The Denver Nuggets superstar center Jokic is not expected to play in the NBA into his 40s, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported Thursday. Siegel adds that Jokic could potentially retire at age 37 or age 38 (after his next NBA contract expires).

Jokic is set to turn 32 years old in February and is his 12th career season in the league. It has obviously been a very fruitful run for the Serbian big man thus far as he has made eight All-Star teams, won three NBA MVP Awards, and led the Nuggets to the 2023 NBA championship as the Finals MVP.

But Jokic has made very clear in recent years that he has other major interests off the basketball court. Jokic also appears to hate being famous and recently explained why he is rude to fans.

As it stands right now, Jokic is under contract for $59 million this season and holds a player option for $62.8 million in 2027-28. If he signs a new five-year max extension with the Nuggets this summer, Jokic will indeed be tied to the team until 2032 (at which point he would be 37 going on 38).

Jokic, who is averaging a 24/11/9 line this season for a 6-4 Denver team, also has some interesting rivals who would love to lure him away before he signs an extension. In any case though, it appears that there may only be about six years left of the Jokic experience in the NBA altogether.