It took a camel for us to find out Nikola Jokic has never ridden a horse.
The Nuggets spent this week in Abu Dhabi playing a pair of exhibition games against the world-champion Celtics. Many of the Nuggets staffers made the trip, including their media team. As the players experienced life abroad, a few boarded camels, including Russell Westbrook and Peyton Watson.
A Nuggets reporter asked Jokic if he had been on a camel.
“I have never been on a horse, to be honest,” Jokic said. “Just driving them.”
At 6-foot-11, 284 pounds, it stands to reason that riding would not be his favorite activity. A Western saddle might make it more feasible, preventing his knees from touching his chin as he trotted down an old country road. But his admission was striking nonetheless because Jokic loves horses like Sean Payton loves The Greenbrier Resort.
Based on his recently admitted purchases, Jokic figures to own roughly a dozen horses. They compete in harness races, their riders in a chariot. Jokic pulled up after winning one of his MVPs in a horse buggy that looked like the seat from an elementary school playground.
Jokic’s passion for horses is part of his appeal. It is not hard to see him eventually retiring to a life at the racetrack with no cellphone. But let’s not miss the irony here. A man who loves horses has never ridden a horse and is ridden like a horse by the Nuggets. And he will be again this season — giving the city a chance at a title every year he plays.
Giddy-up.
The standard: The Avs are not favored to win the Stanley Cup this season and will be forced to lean on their defense early on. But it has not changed expectations, Logan O’Connor told The Post. “Every year with our team, the coaching staff and the support of ownership, we are given our best chance. It would be insane to have any other goal but a championship.”
Uni-watch: Major League Baseball intersected with logic, announcing All-Star players will wear their respective team jerseys for the game. Thank goodness. The sport reached a new low with the gender reveal jerseys last July.
Hear them roar: The Tigers remind me a lot of the 2007 Rockies. And how about this: Their payroll is $18.8 million. Sixty-two players made more than that this season.
Hey Jeudy: The Broncos miss Jerry Jeudy. But they don’t miss admissions like this. Jeudy told Cleveland reporters he would run more in practice this week to avoid getting tired on plays like he did against the Raiders. That never happened in Denver while he was running 20 fake jet sweeps every Sunday.
Jetting out of town: Raiders receiver Davante Adams appears to be angling for a trade to the Jets. He loved working with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. But be careful what you wish for. Are we sure Rodgers plays beyond this season? And are the Jets really a contender with Robert Saleh as a head coach and Nathaniel Hackett as an offensive coordinator? They looked like frauds when I watched them in person last week.
Mail Time
Regarding your article on John Denver’s songs, I can vividly remember the exact place I was (1971, driving along the Charles River in Boston) when I first heard “Country Roads” come on the car radio. Had to pull over and cry! Johnny is our guy for West Virginians out here in Colorado.
Deb Green, email
It was overwhelming how many people wrote about their connections to “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “Rocky Mountain High.” These songs have helped define two states and become part of the culture. It was cool to see how embedded “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is to West Virginia, from family gatherings to weddings to sporting events. One thing that didn’t make the column: John Denver played “Take Me Home” at the dedication of West Virginia University’s Mountaineer Field on Sept. 6, 1980. Of course, WVU won.
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