The NBA All-Star Game brings players together that aren’t used to sharing a locker room with one another, and on Sunday night, that led to a hilarious moment between the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama and the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic.
The two NBA stars are playing for “Chuck’s Global Stars” in this year’s new NBA All-Star Game format, and prior to the start of Sunday’s festivities, Jokic was caught off guard when he saw the second-year center break out a book at his locker — with the exchange caught by the NBA’s social media team.
“You really brought a book?” Jokic asked Wembanyama in astonishment.
“Yeah, I read before every game,” Wembanyama replied.
Jokic couldn’t contain his laughter as Wembanyama tried to explain to him the book he brought with him.
Reading before — or in some cases during — a game seems to be gaining steam for pro athletes after A.J. Brown’s propensity for reading on the sideline during Eagles games made national headlines.
Brown was reading Jim Murphy’s book, “Inner Excellence,” at the time that Fox cameras recorded him doing so during the Eagles Wild Card win over the Packers.
to Nikola Jokic on Feb. 16. Screengrab via X/@NBA
pregame reading habit on Feb. 16. Screengrab via X/@NBA
“It gives me a sense of peace,” Brown told reporters after the game. “That’s a book I bring every single game. My teammates call it a recipe. It’s the first time I heard ya’ll got it on camera. It’s not the first game. It got a lot of points in there, it’s a lot of mental parts about it.”
It’s unclear if Wembanyama’s pregame literature choices are motivational or just for enjoyment.
It’s been a busy weekend for the young star after Wembanyama found himself embroiled in an All-Star Game Skills Competition controversy after he was disqualified from the timed event of the night for not taking legitimate shots during the competition.
