(A.P.) DENVER Nikola Jokic and his family, teammate Jamal Murray, and the NBA championship trophy rode on a fire truck.
On Thursday, Jokic and the Denver Nuggets celebrated their first NBA championship with a procession through downtown Denver, where they were showered with champagne.
Ognjena, his small daughter, sat in front of him on the firetruck, and she stole the show, especially when she wore Jokic’s championship helmet. Jokic also made some key assists, protecting her from flying champagne bottles.
Many devoted followers finally made it out to the long-awaited party. It took 47 years and a trip to the NBA Finals for the Denver Nuggets to bring the Larry O’Brien Trophy to the Mile High City.
The Denver Police Department reported on social media that an officer had been injured when a firetruck hit him towards the end of the parade route. The cop sustained life-threatening injuries and needed emergency medical transport. The cause of the crash has yet to be determined.
The victory over the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the Finals on Monday night was the icing for an outstanding playoff run by the Denver Nuggets. Since the 2003 expansion of the NBA Playoffs to a best-of-seven format, the Denver Nuggets’ 16-4 postseason record is tied for the second-best by an NBA champion. Golden State went 16-1 in 2017, and San Antonio went 16-4 that year.
Coach Michael Malone was visibly moved as he was interviewed after stepping down from his firetruck at the parade. “It’s hitting me right now,” he remarked. I can’t believe I get to experience this.
“I’ve got a crazy idea,” Malone said, referring to the “Put this in your pipe and smoke it” T-shirt he was sporting under an image of the NBA championship trophy. Let’s try it out once more. I’m itching for another float trip. I want to march in another parade and experience this once more.
There’s a lot of material to process. Christian Braun, a rookie, was seen throwing his shirt into the audience. DeAndre Jordan, a seasoned player, mingled with the crowd and high-fived fans. Murray, who was depicted in a picture, signed it. Teammate Aaron Gordon was questioned by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who acted as a T.V. reporter.
“KCP, reporting live,” he turned to Gordon on the Denver 7 broadcast and announced. When asked, “How does it feel to be a champion?”
“You would know, champ,” Gordon told Caldwell-Pope.
Caldwell-Pope won a championship in 2020 while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, making him the only player on the Denver Nuggets to do so.
Until now, that is.
The Broncos finished their offseason training on Thursday, far from the city’s festivities. According to veteran safety Kareem Jackson, the Nuggets are motivated to repeat as champions.
They had a terrific year, and it was cool to see another team from our city win the championship. This is quite heartening to us. Jackson remarked, “We both want to do the same thing.
Jokic is fresh off an unprecedented playoff campaign in which he led the league in points (600), rebounds (269), and assists (190). The NBA’s two-time Most Valuable Player also won the Finals MVP award.
Along with the prize, he also had this. Jokic temporarily lost it in the excitement of clinching a championship on Monday night.
The audience roared with “MVP” “MVP” chants when Jokic was called to the microphone.
He said, “Ok, ok, ok, ok,” to get their attention and get them to stop talking. “Thank you. Thank you, though. This is amazing. We’re all going to remember this our whole lives.”
Nikola Jokic will soon return to Sombor, Serbia, to spend time with his family and resume his other passion, horse racing, now that the season has concluded. On Sunday, he plans to return to town in time to watch a harness race.
