In the immediate aftermath of the Nuggets’ title-clinching Game 5 victory over the Heat on Monday, Nikola Jokić was dismayed to learn that the celebratory championship parade would not be until three days later, delaying his plans to return home.
Come parade time on Thursday, though, the Finals MVP was singing a different tune.
Jokić and his Nuggets teammates received a heroes’ welcome, parading through the streets of Denver to hundreds of thousands of fans in an electric environment befitting of the team’s dominant run en route to the franchise’s first-ever championship. With the beverages flowing and spirits high, Jokić strode to the microphone and offered the perfect about-face on his previous stance—much to the delight of his massive audience.
Jokic is loving the parade 😂😂
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 15, 2023
(via @SportsCenter)pic.twitter.com/d7mtTCTyiO
“You know that I told that I don’t want to stay and parade,” Jokić said. “But I f------ want to stay and parade. This is the best day of my f------ life. This is amazing.”
The line was, predictably, a huge hit for those in attendance. As great a time as Jokić was having, he clearly was not the only one. Head coach Michael Malone was certainly in a partying mood, while a shirtless Jeff Green admirably maintained his composure while conducting an on-camera interview in, shall we say, a compromised state in a performance that you’d come to expect from a champion.
Perhaps Jokić would have liked to get home a bit earlier, but it’s clear that any delayed travels ended up being well worth the wait.
