"They call me Jordanovic" - DeAndre Jordan reveals origins of iconic handshake with Nikola Jokic

Nikola Jokic and DeAndre Jordan have an iconic handshake that has gone viral several times over the past couple of seasons. Jordan recently shared the origins of the handshake and it was a very simple story involving a former Houston Rockets player.

In an appearance on "Podcast P with Paul George," Jordan was asked about the handshake. The former All-Star explained that it all started with Jokic and Boban Marjanovic. It was a "Serbian thing" and "The Joker" began using it with Jordan, who he called a "Black Serbian."

"I saw him and Boban doing some kinda like triple kiss thing. And I'm like, 'Okay cool. I've seen that in Europe before.' I've seen the two but never the three. So I'm like, 'Why do you do three kisses with Bobi?' He's like, 'Brother, it's a Serbian thing. But you're a Black Serbian.' I'm like, 'Cool. Bet.'

He added:

"One day he came up to me and I'm like, 'Oh, sh*t. This is the day.' He's turning, I'm like, 'This is it.' I'm like, 'I can't f*ck it up.' 'Cause if not, he's gonna be like, 'You're not Black Serbian.' I dapped him up and we did it and he was like, 'Good job.' And after that, it was just kinda like a thing. That was it. So I guess they call me Jordanovic. I'm rolling with it.'

DeAndre Jordan and Nikola Jokic have been teammates since 2022, winning a championship last season. However, Jordan is not a reliable backup anymore given his age. He's more of an advisor for young players on the roster and a voice in the locker room.

Jordan will be a free agent this season and it will be interesting to see if the Denver Nuggets bring him back. The Nuggets need to bolster their big man rotation, which means they start trusting Zeke Nnaji or look for a more reliable option at center.

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What's next for Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets?

What's next for Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets?

Nikola Jokic might have won the NBA MVP this season, but the Denver Nuggets failed to defend their championship. The Nuggets were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals after a grueling seven-game series.

The Nuggets got the game on hand before collapsing in the second half of Game 7. But what's next for the 2023 NBA champions? They will need to assess their roster and possibly add more big men in their rotation, especially if they're not going to play DeAndre Jordan and Zeke Nnaji.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could be heading into free agency, so the Nuggets might need to sign him to a new deal or possibly choose a potential replacement. They also have a bunch of free agents, but only a limited amount of cap space enough to attract vets looking to win a ring.