Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets captured their first-ever NBA title on Monday night, beating the Heat 94–89 in Game 5.
On the surface, Jokić didn’t seem too excited about the championship. In the immediate aftermath of the victory, he told ESPN’s Lisa Salters that winning the championship was “good” because “we can go home now.” He also appeared visibly frustrated in the postgame press conference that the victory parade wasn’t scheduled until Thursday because he couldn’t go home until then.
But that doesn’t mean Jokić didn’t have any fun at all. The Denver star was captured on video throwing star teammate Jamal Murray in the pool back in the team’s locker room area after leaving the floor.
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Nuggets coach Michael Malone was seen dragging Murray by the back of his shirt before Jokić picked up the point guard and dove into the pool with him.
Jokić and Murray take a championship swim! 🤣
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 13, 2023
🎥: @NBA pic.twitter.com/ObNpSiYMLe
It looks like Jokić is enjoying his first NBA championship after all!
Jokić won NBA Finals MVP after scoring a game-high 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting from the floor in Game 5. He also added 16 rebounds and four assists in 42 minutes of game action.
For the series, Jokić was dominant. He averaged 30.2 points per game, 14.0 rebounds per game and 7.2 assists per game on 55/46/80% shooting splits for the finals.
