Ill Jokić still took the court to help Serbia against Italy

Serbia's national basketball team head coach Svetislav Alimpijević said after the match against Italy that team captain Nikola Jokić had been seriously ill heading into the game.

According to the coach, the NBA star felt very unwell for the three days before the match but refused to stay behind and leave his teammates without him. Jokić chose to take the court anyway and did not complain once about how he felt.

An unusually quiet performance

Compared to his usual output, this was a modest game for Jokić - he scored just eight points in 24 minutes on the floor. Alimpijević stressed that this kind of commitment - playing through illness rather than missing games for the team's sake - is exactly why the coaching staff and squad are proud to have him as captain.

Standings in the group

In World Cup qualifying, Serbia currently sits second in its group with six wins from eight games. Turkey leads the group, having not lost a single match so far. Italy holds third place with five wins, while Lithuania is fourth with four wins.

In November, Serbia has two more group matches remaining - against Italy and against Lithuania - both important for its position in the standings.