NBA Player Nikola Jokić Laughs at His Obvious Gru Resemblance For Despicable Me 4
The Nuggets' Nikola Jokić arrived at NBA Playoff Games in suspiciously familiar attire.
The Nuggets' Nikola Jokić can dominate the basketball court with his impressive athletic skills, but he also clearly has a great sense of humor – his nickname isn’t “The Joker” for nothing! The 6’11” Serbian basketball star embraced his resemblance to another rather tall, mysterious character when he showed up before Game 1 of the Nuggets' playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 20. Donning a black and grey striped scarf, Jokić dressed as supervillain Gru in a nod to his appearance in the latest teaser for the upcoming Despicable Me 4, in theaters on July 3.
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The Denver Nuggets even jumped in on the fun, posting a photo of Jokić on their official X account, with the caption "Going to Play Basketball or Going to Steal the Moon?"
In the teaser, Jokić seeks therapy over his outfits being compared on social media to those worn by the villainous Gru (voiced by Steve Carell). He tells the therapist in a rather Gru-like voice, “I thought I look really good that day. I put on this beautiful suit. They said I mean business… they say I look like Gru."
We soon see who he is referring to when he opens the shades on the window. Confused Minions have been following him everywhere and simply won’t leave the basketball legend alone.
“Guys, I’m not your boss!” he pleads.
We know the Minions have strong opinions about basketball, as evidenced by their passionate but confused debate over who is the basketball GOAT (Greatest of All Time) in a teaser for 2022’s Minions: The Rise of Gru. Their answer? An actual goat.
Jokić has enough on his plate without his little yellow friends trailing after him. On the court, he posted a near-triple double with 32 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists to help the Nuggets win the Lakers game and take a 1-0 lead in the playoff series. He was also just voted NBA MVP in a recent poll of NBA players conducted by “The Athletic.”
Despite his busy schedule, we’re sure he’ll carve time out to see his doppelganger and Minion friends in action on the big screen this summer.
Meanwhile, Illumination’s Despicable Me 4 brings together a star-studded cast, including Carrell as Anti-Villain League Agent Gru and Kristen Wiig as his wife, who are enjoying suburban life with the Minions and a new addition to their family, Gru Jr. Once escaped criminal Maxime Le Mall (Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina (Sofia Vergara) sets their sights on Gru, the family must go on the run, and Anti-Villain League boss Silas Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan) comes out of retirement to help them.
Catch Despicable Me 4 on Peacock starting on Oct. 31, 2024.
