After winning a third MVP award in 2024, Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic further cemented his status as one of the greatest players the NBA has ever seen.
In 10 years, Jokic has risen from a relatively unknown draft prospect into the world's best player, reinventing the center position with his unique blend of offensive skills. Not only is Jokic one of the most gifted passers the game has ever seen, but he is also a prolific scorer who fills it up in a variety of ways.
Among Jokic's most notable scoring methods is his signature move, the Sombor Shuffle, which has quickly become a household phrase among basketball fans. The move, which has been used on some of the game's greatest defenders, is entering the realm of being unstoppable due to how often he completes it.
What is the Sombor Shuffle? Here is an inside look at Jokic's signature move and shot.
MORE: Can Nikola Jokic help Serbia pull off an Olympic upset of Team USA?
Nikola Jokic's Sombor Shuffle, explained
The Sombor Shuffle is Jokic's signature post move that consists of a side dribble and a one-legged fadeaway. The name of the move was coined by Nuggets play-by-play announcer Chris Marlowe, who drew inspiration from Jokic's hometown of Sombor, Serbia.
JOKER ARE YOU KIDDING!?
— NBA (@NBA) March 6, 2024
The Sombor Shuffle from downtown to beat the buzzer 😲
Suns-Nuggets on TNT pic.twitter.com/zmZ24XupDQ
Jokic's signature shot bears similarity to Dirk Nowitzki's signature fadeaway, but Jokic shoots off of his right leg and his body remains straight while Nowitzki shot off of his left leg and had a much more slanted posture on his release.
In 2017, Jokic developed the shot while rehabbing a left ankle injury, as he explained to Rachel Nichols.
"It was kind of painful to jump with both legs, and I kind of started jumping with the right leg. And the ball was going in," Jokic said. "I said, 'Maybe I can use this.' It's been working since then."
A conversation with Nikola Jokic on his journey from being the 41st pick in the draft with - in his words - "the worst-conditioned body in the NBA," to the favorite to win MVP. Plus: the origins of his signature moves & how he still misses drinking a gallon(!) of Coca-Cola a day: pic.twitter.com/s0ZatTdUOE
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) May 1, 2021
MORE: How Nikola Jokic, Serbia pulled off monumental comeback in Olympics quarterfinals
The effectiveness of Jokic's shot has made it a go-to move, especially in the game's most critical situations. Jokic often employs the Sombor Shuffle down the stretch when Denver — or Serbia — needs a bucket most.
After using the shot to average 26.4 points per game and a third MVP in the 2023-24 season, Jokic will look to Sombor Shuffle his way into a podium finish for Serbia at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
