Atlanta Hawks power forward Porzingis recently talked about his rival on the court, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, in an interview, and said that the star will not give in no matter who he faces.

In the 2024/25 NBA regular season, Nikola Jokic played in 70 games for the Denver Nuggets, averaging 29.6 points per game on 57.6% shooting from the field and 41.7% from three-point range. Recently, Jokic also played for the Serbian national team at the 2025 EuroBasket.

"I haven't had a lot of success against him in the last 10 years," said Porzingis, who joined the Atlanta Hawks from the Boston Celtics in July. "He's one of the best players. He's very relaxed and not a go-getter, but he never backs down from anybody."

In addition, Porzingis recently represented Latvia in the European Basketball Championship and also faced Nikola Jokic on the court.

Porzingis said, "The game was very difficult. Nikola Jokic has a lot of tricks up his sleeve in the paint. He's very strong, but he has a very soft touch, and his basketball IQ is on another level."

"We were in fierce competition from the first minute to the end, and he was probably 30 kilograms heavier than me. I tried my best, and I think the fans enjoyed it. I have to pay tribute to the Serbian fans, who also showed us respect after the game. It was an interesting game."