COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — When the Colorado Rapids acquired Marko Ilic on loan from Kortrijk at the beginning of the season, they were bringing him closer to a few dreams: making his mark in the MLS behind one of the best keepers in William Yarbrough, and meeting his hometown idol down the street.
"I'm a big fan of basketball, big fan of NBA, and a huge fan of [Nuggets center Nikola] Jokic, so when I knew that I was going to come to Denver, I was really excited," Ilic said.
Ilic, a Serbian native, shares an even stronger bond with his favorite baller.
"We actually went to the same school together," he said. "I mean, I never actually met him, we were separate and he's three years older I think, so we didn't go at the same time, but we went to the same high school in Novi Sad."
And he wears that fact with pride.
"Everyone knows who Jokic is in Serbia, he's a really important ambassador of Serbia," Ilic said. "He represents Serbia in the best possible way and everyone looks up to him and everyone is a huge fan of Jokic in Serbia. Having the chance to be in the same city, having the chance to go to the games, watch him, represent Serbia, it's really a good experience."
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