Police have reportedly found the man who appeared to be punched by Nikola Jokic’s brother in the stands at Monday’s NBA playoff game between the Nuggets and the Lakers.
The authorities and the NBA launched an investigation after footage emerged that apparently showed Jokic’s older brother Strahinja, who was arrested on suspicion of assault in 2019, hitting the fan.
Now, according to TMZ, Denver Police have been ‘in communication’ with the fan.
Denver Police added: ‘At this point the investigation is still ongoing and no arrests have been made.’
The NBA is also investigating the clip.
Shocking footage appears to show Nikola Jokic’s brother punching someone at Monday’s NBA playoff game between Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers
Jokic’s brother Strahinja pictured in 2019 after being arrested on allegations of assault
The shocking footage emerged on social media showing two men getting into an altercation, with Jokic’s wife Nataljia standing nearby, holding their young daughter.
Jokic’s older brother Strahinja, who was arrested on suspicion of assault in 2019, appears to be the one who threw the punch, striking the man he was arguing with in the face.
He can be seen wearing a ‘Jokic 15’ jersey and climbing over a row of seats to get nearer to the fan involved in the exchange, with other brother Nemanja appearing behind him.
The shocking scenes threaten to tarnish an otherwise brilliant night for the team at the Ball Arena in Denver.
The Nuggets came from behind to beat LeBron James and his men 101-99 on Monday night, with Jokic spearheading the fightback with 27 points and top scoring for his team – who are last year’s NBA champions. They hold a 2-0 lead in the series.
Strahinja has been in trouble with police for violent behavior before. He was arrested in 2019 for allegedly choking and pushing a woman.
The Denver Post reported that Strahinja got violent when the woman tried to leave his apartment and that he said he would choke her ‘until she fell asleep’. He was also alleged to have taken her phone away when she tried to call 911.
In February 2002, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of obstruction of phone service and felony trespassing, while other charges were dropped.
Jokic scored 27 points in Monday’s game as the Nuggets beat LeBron and the Lakers
He got a deferred sentence and was told the charges would be dropped as long as he didn’t commit another crime by February 3, 2022.
Nikola Jokic, meanwhile, has spoken before about his somewhat unusual upbringing with his older brother.
He told Sports Illustrated in 2017 that Strahinja ‘once held down my arms and threw knives all around my head’ after refusing to climb a tree with him: ‘That was a little crazy.’
The Nuggets play the Lakers in Game 3 later tonight.
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