Fans love Nikola Jokic's hilarious response to question about greeting DeAndre Jordan with 3 kisses

Nikola Jokic led the Denver Nuggets to a 120-101 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 7 of the first round of the NBA playoffs , but it wasn’t exactly his performance on the court that made headlines hours later. The Denver Nuggets center drew attention for greeting teammate DeAndre Jordan , who was sitting in the stands, with 3 kisses, which he called “a Serbian thing.”

Nikola Jokic responds on greeting DeAndre Jordan with 3 kissesNikola Jokic’s 3-kiss gesture was enough for the TNT brigade to grill The Joker. TNT host Charles Barkley asked Jokic after the game, “Is that the ugliest person you’ve ever kissed in your life?” Jokic took some time to process the question and responded, “No… Actually. Hmm.” The pause in itself was enough to add to the kissing topic and left his fans laughing over it on social media.

The incident went on to become a topic of discussion on Reddit as fans had their own reactions to Nikola Jokic’s explanation: “Yes, it's a Serbian thing, he wants to be a Serbian, so... I gotta let him have a little peace."

Charles Barkley: "Is that the ugliest person [DeAndre Jordan] you ever kissed in your life?"

Nikola Jokic: "No... Actually. Hmm." 😂

(via @NBAonTNT)pic.twitter.com/ajO36AFAz8

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 4, 2025

Reacting to it, a Reddit user wrote, “The facial expression after the pause was money. Prime comedic timing.” Commenting on the 3-kiss greeting, another said, “Might actually be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen on the court.” Sharing a suggestion on Jokic’s hilarious response, a fan wrote, “Leave it alone, Jokic! Your family is watching you! Hahaha.” “Goddamn, this is funny, lol,” wrote another. A comment also read: “Are the Inside Guys just now noticing this? Those guys have done the greeting kiss for years...”

After their win over the Los Angeles Clippers, the Denver Nuggets move to the second round to play against the Oklahoma City Thunder, which are the number 1 seed in the West. After the win over the Clippers, Jokic told the media, “In the playoffs, we know that everybody needs to step up — offensively, defensively, whatever, energy-wise. And everybody who plays needs to contribute something. It was special today; the guys did that.”

Also Read: What is Nikola Jokic's ethnicity? Exploring the heritage of Denver Nuggets superstar

“The rebounding and defense were amazing. We had a lot of opportunities to run, and a lot of guys stepped up, and a lot of guys made baskets,” he said, praising his teammates.