Strahinja Jokic, the oldest brother of Denver Nuggets superstar and three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, has been charged with third-degree assault stemming from an incident in April during a Nuggets home playoff game vs. the Los Angeles Lakers.
After the Nuggets defeated the Lakers to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series, a video surfaced online of Strahinja, who was in attendance for the game, appearing to punch a fan in the crowd. While nothing, aside from the NBA opening an investigation, seemingly came of the incident at the time, Strahinja reportedly was slapped with a misdemeanor assault charge in July.
The alleged victim, according to the police, sustained a concussion and cuts and bruises to his face. He spoke with officers three days after the game in question and said he was initially hesitant of pressing charges. Strahinja has been ordered by the case’s judge to stay away from the alleged victim.
Strahinja claimed he was protecting an older man at the game. The eldest Jokic brother must complete fingerprinting and return to court in October to enter a plea.
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Strahinja had previously been charged with felony assault in 2019 after being accused of choking and pushing a woman. When the woman tried to leave his apartment, Strahinja allegedly stopped her and then began to choke her when she tried to yell for help from a balcony. When she attempted to call 911, Strahinja allegedly took her phone away.
After initially being charged with second-degree assault, which is a felony, as well as false imprisonment and obstruction of phone service, both misdemeanors, several charges were dismissed when Strahinja pleaded guilty to obstruction of phone service and felony trespassing. The trespassing conviction was eventually negated when Strahinja went two years without committing a crime during an unsupervised probation period.
Strahinja is the oldest of three Jokic brothers; Nemanja is often seen with Strahinja at Nuggets games supporting their youngest brother Nikola, who has won three of the last four NBA MVPs.
Preston Byers is an experienced writer and journalist who currently serves as an associate NBA, NFL, and NCAA Football editor for ClutchPoints. Preston also works as a staff writer at The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, and previously was a site expert for FanSided’s Union and Blue.