Who's In The Hotels.com Commercials With NBA Champion Nikola Jokic?
If you're a superstar athlete, you're eventually going to make your way into some commercials. It's just the way of the universe. All of that salary money is nice, sure, but it's the sponsorship deals where sports legends really make the big bucks — even if they're the kind who like to stay out of the public eye.
Denver Nuggets center and two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić dodged the commercial game for about as long as a perennial All-NBA player can. Over the last several years, the big man has put up astronomical numbers, broken records, and finally won a championship in 2023. He also famously hates the spotlight, telling teammate Michael Porter Jr. on a 2023 episode of the Curious Mike podcast, "When I finish my career, I really wish nobody knows me. I really wish my kid, or kids, in the future, remember me as a dad, not as a basketball player." Sometimes, though, the money just makes sense, which must have been the case for Jokić to start starring in his recent series of Hotels.com commercials. He appears in the ads alongside teammate Peyton Watson, who isn't exactly one of the most recognizable 2023 commercial actors.
Watson is a relatively new addition to the Nuggets and the NBA as a whole, having been drafted with the 30th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. The 21-year-old previously played college ball at UCLA, and his commercials with Jokić have certainly raised his public profile.
Peyton Watson and Nikola Jokić are hilarious in their Hotels.com ads
The recent series of Hotels.com commercials starring Peyton Watson and Nikola Jokić adhere to a set structure. In each spot, the two-time MVP is showing Watson the ropes of life on the road in the NBA. One commercial follows the two as they walk through a hotel lobby, Jokić leading a small pony at his side. "You sure this is cool?" Watson asks, glancing around the fancy lobby. "Relax," Jokić replies. "This place is pet-friendly." In real life, Jokić is well known for his love of raising and racing horses in his native Serbia, where he lives during the NBA offseason. He famously complained about the timing of his own championship parade in 2023 because he wanted to get back to his animals. Fortunately, he still seemed to have a great time at the event.
Another commercial shows the two teammates walking by a hotel pool, with Jokić pointing out sections he describes as being for either "VIPs" or "fair-weather fans." Of course, Watson ends up sitting on the "bench," as Jokić calls it, which is the stairs leading down into the shallow end of the pool. The all-star center makes his way to a special shaded area by himself.
Though he still plays the sidekick in his Hotels.com commercials with Jokić, Peyton Watson is gradually raising his station in the NBA. There's no doubt fans also love to see his side hustle.