DENVER — Nikola Jokic, the 7-foot Serbian drafted during a Taco Bell commercial nine years ago, smiled bashfully as he stood on stage Thursday in front of Denver City Hall.
In front of him stood throngs of adoring fans clad in worn-out jerseys, a visual timeline of beloved Denver Nuggets players who could never quite get over the hump: Carmelo Anthony and Dikembe Mutombo, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Nick Van Exel.
As the star center took the microphone, fans broke out in “MVP! MVP!” chants, pumping their fists.
“You know that (I) told (you) that I don’t want to stay (for the) parade,” Jokic said, “but I (expletive) want to stay (for the) parade.”
The crowd, which stretched all the way across Civic Center to the Colorado State Capitol, roared.
“This is amazing,” the two-time NBA MVP continued. “We’re all gonna remember this our whole life.”
The short speech from the famously modest basketball savant capped a delirious day in downtown Denver that was 47 years in the making. Hundreds of thousands of fans from across the Centennial State whooped and hollered, chanted and screamed as their beloved Nuggets paraded through the Mile High City, celebrating the first championship in franchise history.
Fans began lining up in the early hours Thursday outside Union Station, sporting signs and championship hats.
Nick Walsh rolled up his sleeve to show a tattoo of ’70s-era mascot Maxie the Miner — proof that he’s a true die-hard. The former college basketball player has been a fan since the late ’90s, when Raef LaFrentz and Antonio McDyess ruled the court. Former center Marcus Camby became his mentor after Walsh attended his basketball camp, with the NBA All-Star paying for his housing at Division II Hastings College.
“I love our team, dude,” Walsh said, noting that he’d never seen this much Nuggets gear in his life. “People enjoy being here — you don’t see that often.”
Nearby, a group of elementary-aged schoolchildren could hardly stand still as they waited for the parade to begin. The cohort watched every game together from the same house. After the Nuggets clinched the title on Monday, the kids drove around in the car with their parents, chanting out of the windows.
“People loved us,” said Johnny Goode, who just finished fourth grade at Denver’s Brown Elementary.
Billie Flickinger came to the festivities with her daughter and two grandchildren. The 73-year-old has lived in Colorado for 50 years — three more than the Nuggets’ title-less NBA tenure. She and her husband refused to miss a playoff game, even watching one from the emergency room as he waited on stitches.
Standing among the jubilant crowd, Flickinger thought back to the decades of futility.
“It’s a miracle,” the Broomfield resident said.
As the floats neared, children hopped on parents’ shoulders, craning their necks to see the stars. Fans stood on metal fences and leaned out downtown windows. Every so often, the crowd burst into “Let’s go Nuggets!” chants.
Christian Braun, the precocious rookie from Kansas, smiled widely from atop a fire truck, proudly holding a WWE championship belt. Supermascot Rocky threw goodies into the masses.
Aaron Gordon, the indispensable defensive cog, soaked in the adulation, a cigar hanging out of his mouth. He pointed to his ring finger, where the championship jewelry soon will go, as the crowd screamed “AG! AG!” Next to him, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope pumped his fist, his floral shirt fully unbuttoned.
Coach Michael Malone fully embraced Thursday’s festivities, rocking a flat-brim championship hat and dark sunglasses as he beckoned for fans to get loud.
As Jamal Murray and Jokic approached Union Station on their truck, the crowd swelled in anticipation. Jokic pointed to the fans and clapped his hands alongside his wife and young daughter. Next to him, the sun reflected off the gold Larry O’Brien championship trophy.
The jubilant day, however, was dampened after police say two people were shot Thursday afternoon near the parade route. Earlier, a fire truck carrying Nuggets players struck a police sergeant. Police say Sgt. Justin Dodge suffered a serious injury to his left leg and could lose the limb.
The incidents come just days after at least 10 people were injured in a shooting during the downtown celebrations that followed the Nuggets’ clinching Game 5 victory. That shooting was likely connected to a drug deal, police said.
Following Thursday’s parade, fans eagerly gathered in Civic Center to hear from the players and coaches. Nuggets public address announcer Kyle Speller introduced the home team, much as he’s been doing for 18 years, in his iconic, booming voice.
“From Sombor, Serbia…” Speller yelled, the rest of his introduction of Jokic drowned out by more “MVP” chants.
Mayor Michael Hancock declared June 15 “Nuggets Nation Day” in an official proclamation.
The crowd roared as Malone took the microphone, saying, “We don’t want one (championship), we want two!”
“I dreamed about this day since I got here eight years ago,” the longtime coach said.
Veteran forward Jeff Green, affectionately known to fans as “Uncle Jeff,” said he waited “16 long-ass years” for this moment.
Bruce Brown, the jitterbug guard who helped win Game 4 of the Finals with his fourth-quarter heroics, had just one question for the crowd. The sixth man is a free agent this summer who could command a big payday on the open market.
“One more year?” he asked the fans, who responded with boisterous “Bruuuuuce” chants.
By this point, half the team had their shirts off. Jokic sipped on a Montucky Cold Snack as Queen’s “We Are the Champions” blasted from the speakers.
As confetti fell and fireworks lit up the Denver skyline, Ryan O’Connor stood by himself. The Englewood native “cried his eyes out” Monday after the Nuggets won, he said.
The 40-year-old said he wanted to remember this moment forever. He slapped his right forearm, indicating the place he plans to put a tattoo of Maxie the Miner holding the Larry O’Brien trophy.
“This is one of the best times of my life,” he said.
