BREAKING: Nikola Jokić’s brother faces assault charges after a heated altercation with a fan during a playoff game – but he’s pleading not guilty. What really happened?

The misdemeanor charge stems from a viral April 2024 incident involving Strahinja Jokic and another fan at an NBA playoff game

Strahinja Jokic. Photo:

Bart Young/NBAE via Getty

Strahinja Jokic has pleaded not guilty to an assault charge stemming from a viral fight with a fan at a Denver Nuggets game last April, according to multiple reports.

Strahinja, the older brother of NBA star Nikola Jokic, pleaded not guilty on Monday, Jan. 6 and has another court date set for March with the chance his case could head to trial in April, according to local 9News.

TMZ reported that the NBA star’s older brother appeared in a Denver County courtroom Monday to enter his not guilty plea after he was charged with misdemeanor assault. The altercation happened during the Nuggets’ playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Ball Arena on April 22.

Strahinja frequently attended his brother’s NBA games prior to the incident and celebrated the Nuggets’ 2023 NBA Championship alongside Nikola on the court after the game. Nikola has two older brothers, Strahinja and Nemanja, who were also both former professional basketball players in their native Serbia.

Nikola Jokic and Strahinja Jokic.

Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty

Video of the April 2024 incident went viral shortly after it happened and was first shared by TMZ. The video appears to show Strahinja climb over a row of seats before punching another fan with his right fist, causing the other fan to stagger backwards for a moment. Strahinja then appears to continue yelling in the man’s direction as he walks away.

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The Denver Police Department told PEOPLE at the time that the fan didn’t initially come forward about pressing charges. However, 9News reports that the fan told police at the time that he didn’t want to press charges out of fear of retaliation, but later changed his mind in early May after seeing a doctor and getting diagnosed with a concussion.

Strahinja Jokic.

AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post

The outlet reports that police said the victim had “obvious cuts and bruising” near his left eye when they interviewed him about the fight and that he told police the incident with Stahinja was “unprovoked.”

When Strahinja was interviewed by police and issued a court summons, the NBA star’s older brother said he was “defending an older man that he has known for a long time.”

9News reported that Strahinja’s next court date is set for March 17, before a potential trial begins one month later.