Back in the 2014 NBA Draft, the Denver Nuggets made a move that would quietly reshape the future of their franchise - selecting Nikola Jokić with the 41st overall pick. At the time, there was no big spotlight, no dramatic announcement.
In fact, the moment was so under-the-radar that ESPN aired a Taco Bell Quesarito commercial right over it. No highlights, no analysis - just a burrito wrapped in a quesadilla while the Nuggets landed a future MVP.
That odd bit of timing turned into one of the most enduring inside jokes in modern NBA history. Jokić himself has laughed about it over the years, once even admitting he avoided Taco Bell altogether because it reminded him of that surreal moment. But now, more than a decade later, the big man has apparently decided it’s time to rewrite that memory.
Recently, Jokić was caught on camera in the Nuggets locker room - mid-bite into a Quesarito. No shame, no hesitation.
Even after realizing he was being filmed, he gave a classic Jokić shrug and kept right on eating. The moment was pure gold for fans, especially those who’ve followed his journey from second-round mystery man to NBA royalty.
The clip quickly made the rounds online, with fans chiming in like it was a throwback ESPN commercial. One joked it had “old school ESPN office commercial vibes,” while another pointed out how Jokić’s legs were swinging like a kid in a waiting room, just happy to be there.
“Looks like a giant kid enjoying his TB at the doctor’s office,” one fan wrote. And honestly?
That’s exactly the energy he gave off - a 7-footer with two MVPs and a Finals trophy to his name, just vibing with a Quesarito like it’s the most normal thing in the world.
But beneath the laughs and the memes is a reminder of just how far Jokić - and the Nuggets - have come. Since that quiet draft night, he’s turned Denver into a legitimate powerhouse.
He led the franchise to its first-ever NBA championship in 2023, stacking up individual accolades along the way. Before a recent injury setback, he was once again dominating the league, averaging 29.6 points per game and sitting comfortably at the top of the MVP conversation.
And while the Quesarito moment stole the spotlight for a day, Nuggets fans are keeping their eyes on the bigger picture. The good news? Jokić has resumed on-court workouts and is reportedly on track to return by the end of January - a welcome sign for a team that still has championship aspirations.
So yeah, the Quesarito moment might’ve started as a quirky footnote in draft history, but now? It’s come full circle.
Jokić isn’t just embracing the joke - he’s owning it. And in classic Nikola fashion, he’s doing it with a smile, a shrug, and a burrito in hand.