DENVER — Ish Smith wouldn’t slow down. On a glorious Monday night, the Nuggets veteran guard ran around the tunnel of Ball Arena with a large smile, talking to family and dapping up anyone who stood near him. He shared a moment with his teammate and friend Jeff Green before calling DeAndre Jordan to bask in the afterglow of Denver’s first title.
The trio of veterans have spent a combined 43 years in the NBA, each playing for more than seven teams. After decades of traveling to different cities and getting acclimated to various organizations, their new home in Denver allowed them to become champions.
“This is what the blood, sweat and tears and countless hours in the gym was all for,” Green said. “Being in this moment is everything.”
Growing up, Smith’s fondest memory of the Finals was the NBA on NBC. He remembered Hall of Famer Michael Jordan gracing his television screen while leading the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles.
Now, Smith, 34, had his own championship memory and didn’t know what to think. He spent the entire night before Game 5 wondering how he would react to being on the mountaintop of the NBA, but all he could do was think about all the coaches and family members who helped him along the way.
“I don’t even think about myself,” Smith said. “I guess I’ll think about it at the end of my career. I’m truly thankful, but it will soak in later.”
When Green leaned against a wall, you could tell he needed a moment. The 15-year veteran was on cloud nine as people walked by to congratulate him. “(This) means a lot,” he said.
At one point, there was uncertainty that Green could play this long after he underwent open-heart surgery in 2012. But Green, a member of Denver’s productive bench rotation, is still standing and will soon have a ring on his finger that signifies his perseverance.
“(Denver) gave me a chance as a 15-year guy,” Green, 36, said. “To be able to help win the first championship in franchise history is amazing.”
Green always respected Smith and Jordan, who he called his best friends. He played with Jordan, 34, in Brooklyn during the 2020-21 season, while he and Smith share similar journeys criss-crossing the league. Green has played for 11 organizations, including two seasons in Denver. Smith has played for 13 teams during a 13-year career, getting traded seven times and waived six. Since 2018, Jordan has played on six different teams after a 10-year career with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Despite the countless hours in the gym and constant moving, Green was the only one to appear in the Finals before this season, so they had every reason to drink as much champagne and Michelob Ultras as they could handle.
“Man, it’s gratifying to know what we put into this league,” Green said. “So for us, it’s about enjoying this together and making sure that everybody appreciates the moment because it doesn’t come too often. (We are) taking in every second of it.”
On an evening that will be talked about for years to come, Denver’s “old heads” showed good things can happen to those who wait.
“It feels good to be a champion,” Smith said.
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