MIAMI (AP) — Nikola Jokic is only going to miss a few weeks, which is surely cause for the Denver Nuggets to take a giant sigh of relief.
The Nuggets' superstar center has been diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee, the team said Tuesday, adding that the three-time MVP will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
It's an obvious blow to the already short-handed Nuggets — but is not a season-ending issue nor one that would require surgical repair. If Jokic misses a month, that means he would be sidelined for about 16 games but could be playing again before February's NBA All-Star Game.
The 6-foot-11 Jokic — considered by many to be the best player in the world right now — got hurt with about three seconds left in the first half of Denver's 147-123 loss in Miami on Monday night.
Jokic entered Tuesday ranked fifth in the NBA in scoring this season at 29.6 points per game, plus leads the league with averages of 12.2 rebounds and 11 assists per contest. The only other player in NBA history to average at least 12 rebounds and 11 assists over a full season was Oscar Robertson for the Cincinnati Royals in 1961-62.
“Obviously, it's part of the game,” Nuggets guard Jamal Murray said Monday night after the game — speaking before the team got the word on the severity of Jokic's injury. “But we never want to see it happen. ... Next man up. We've got to focus on what's in here.”
Denver has five games left on a seven-game road trip, one that resumes Wednesday when the Nuggets visit the Toronto Raptors.
Jokic was alone under the basket and appeared to step forward to help Denver’s Spencer Jones defend a drive by Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. as time was about to expire in the second quarter. While backtracking, Jones stepped on Jokic’s left foot and it seemed the center’s knee buckled a bit.
Jokic collapsed to the court, grabbing at the knee. He was helped to his feet, then made his way to the locker room under his own power but with a pronounced limp.
Denver has been playing without three would-be starters in Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun and Cam Johnson. Even after dropping four of their last six games the Nuggets are still currently No. 3 in the Western Conference at 22-10, with Jokic having played in all 32 of those games.
That's about to change, obviously. Denver is 13-23 over the last five seasons when Jokic isn't in the lineup, and any slippage in the coming weeks would be damaging to the Nuggets' playoff positioning. The Nuggets entered Tuesday only three games ahead of Phoenix, which is currently seventh in the conference.
“You just have to stay with it as a team and as a group,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said Monday night. “And honestly, you have to stay with it as a team and a group because that's how you best support your teammates that are out — by honoring them when you play. So, we'll move on from there. This is part of the NBA."
The injury interrupts what might be Jokic's best season of his career. Not only is he leading the league in rebounds and assists, but he’s shooting a career-best 43.5% from 3-point range and tops the NBA with a true shooting percentage — a formula that accounts for 3-pointers and free throws — of just over 71%.
“It’s like a quest for efficiency and consistency, and I think that’s whether he admits it or not, he sees it as a craft,” Adelman said before Monday's game, a couple of hours before the injury happened. “He’s trying to look at it as something, ‘What can I get better over the year at?’ And I think it’s been really impressive to watch him over these years, not be satisfied with it, and attack new journeys.”
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Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) looks for a way around Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Miami Heat center Kel'El Ware, left, defends Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Tens of thousands of Somalis gathered across the country Tuesday to protest Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland, a move condemned by more than 20 countries as an attack on the East African nation's sovereignty.
Meanwhile, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in Turkey on Tuesday for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, following Israel’s announcement.
At a U.N. Security Council emergency meeting Monday, Somalia protested the recognition saying it poses regional security issues. The Israeli representative decried those comments as a double standard because other nations have recognized Palestine as a state. The U.S. special representative said the country’s position on Somalia remains unchanged.
Last week, Israel became the first country to recognize Somaliland, drawing strong condemnation from Turkey — already at odds with Israel over the war in Gaza — as well as from Somalia and other nations.
Somaliland, a territory of more than 3 million people in the Horn of Africa, declared independence from Somalia in 1991 during a period of conflict that left the country fragile. Despite having its own government and currency, Somaliland had never been recognized by any nation until Friday.
In the Somali capital, Mogadishu, crowds gathered at the main stadium for a rally led by prominent religious figures who condemned Israel’s recognition and called for unity in defense of Somalia’s territorial integrity.
Similar protests were reported in Baidoa in the southwest, Guriel and Dhusamareeb in central Somalia, and Lasanod and Buhoodle in the northeast. Protesters in those towns chanted slogans rejecting the recognition and waved Somali flags, according to residents and video footage shared online.
The combined protests marked the largest turnout of protesters since Israel’s declaration.
At the Mogadishu rally, traditional leader Mohamed Hassan Haad called on Somalis to oppose the recognition and warned against any attempts to claim Somali territory, urging people in Somaliland to reject the move.
Religious scholar Sheikh Mohamud Sheikh Abulbari also condemned Israel’s decision, describing it as unacceptable and saying it was wrong to welcome Israel into any part of Somalia, citing Israel’s actions toward Palestinians and Muslims at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Somalia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Abukar Dahir Osman protested the recognition at the Security Council meeting Monday. “Israel’s action not only sets a dangerous precedent but also poses a serious threat to regional and international peace and security,” he told the council.
In Istanbul on Tuesday, Mohamud expressed gratitude to regional and international institutions that opposed Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, describing it as a violation of international law, the United Nations Charter, the African Union’s principles, and established diplomatic norms.
“This sets a dangerous precedent that is contrary to the principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity, and non-interference that underpins in all international systems,” Mohamud said, standing alongside Erdogan.
“Such actions are creating conditions that embolden violent extremist groups who thrive on narratives of external interference,” Mohamud said. “The result is cascading insecurity for Somalia and the wider region of the Horn of Africa already strained by armed violent, humanitarian pressures and political fragility”
Erdogan expressed strong support for Somalia’s unity and integrity and condemned Israel’s decision to recognize Somaliland as “illegitimate and unacceptable.”
“The preservation of Somalia’s unity and integrity under all circumstances is a priority for us,” Erdogan said, accusing Israel of attempting to drag the Horn of Africa into instability.
Turkey has become one of Somalia’s closest allies over the past decade, providing military training and supporting infrastructure projects. It operates a military base in Mogadishu, where Somali forces are trained, and has dispatched a seismic research vessel — escorted by naval ships — to survey Somalia’s coast for potential oil and gas reserves. Erdogan said Turkey plans to begin drilling operations in Somalia in 2026.
Ankara has called Israel's move unlawful and warned it could destabilize the fragile balance in the Horn of Africa. The reasons behind Israel’s declaration remain unclear.
Earlier in 2025, Turkey hosted talks between Ethiopia and Somalia to address tensions sparked by a deal between Ethiopia and Somaliland.
In January 2024, Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland to lease land along its coastline for a naval base. In return, Ethiopia pledged to recognize Somaliland’s independence — a step Somalia says violates its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Amiri reported from New York. Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed.
Hundreds of Somalis protest Israel's recognition of Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent nation, the first by any country in more than 30 years, in Mogadishu, Somalia, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, left, shakes hands with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following a news conference in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
People raise Somalia's flag as they protest Israel's recognition of Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent nation, in Mogadishu, Somalia, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
Hundreds of Somalis gather at the Mogadishu stadium as they protest Israel's recognition of Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent nation, in Mogadishu, Somalia, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
A man holds the flag of Somalia as people gather at the Mogadishu stadium while they protest Israel's recognition of Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent nation, in Mogadishu, Somalia, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
