The Nuggets celebrated their first NBA title in franchise history in the streets of Denver, from Union Station to Civic Center. Players and team personnel danced atop a line of fire trucks. Some players—such as Bruce Brown, Christian Braun, DeAndre Jordan, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Jeff Green—took the party to the streets and gave high-fives to the buzzing crowd. At the Civic Center, the players addressed the crowd with speeches. Michael Malone transformed from an NBA head coach into a WWE-style hype man.
It was a celebration for the ages.
“You know what’s funny? Jared Bednar, coach of the (Colorado) Avalanche told me, I said, ‘When did it hit you?’ He said at the parade. It’s hitting me right now,” said Malone through tears at the parade. “To share it with our fans, that means the world to me. This is an amazing experience. Something that I believed in. I had no doubt that we would get to this point. I had no doubt because of the people I work with every day. From Josh and Stan Kroenke, to Calvin Booth and his front office, to my coaching staff, and most importantly, the 17 players in that locker room.
“Life’s about moments. It is. Life’s about moments,” continued Malone. “And what we just accomplished, 47 years in the making. And I just am so happy, not for me. Not for our players. But for our fans. We have people that were supporting this team for 47 years. To those fans for 47 years, I just want to say thank you for being patient, thank you for believing in us, and thank you for enjoying this journey, this process. Because we couldn’t have done it without you. So Nuggets Nation, we love you.”
Jamal Murray, who averaged 26.1 points and a career-high 7.1 assists through four rounds of playoff basketball, credited the fans for giving him energy throughout his impressive run. Murray famously thrives off the crowd to put up monstrous performances, like the time he tallied 53 combined points in three quarters of basketball between Games 2 and 3 of the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I appreciate everybody. We really did this. Y’all really did this. Y’all give me energy. We give you energy,” said Murray. “We champs for life. Champions for life!”
Nikola Jokić, who won MVP in both the Western Conference Finals and the NBA Finals, kept it short and sweet. As he usually does.
“You know, I (said) that I don’t want to stay on parade, but I want to stay on (expletive) parade. This is the best. This is amazing,” said Jokić to a jubilated crowd. “And when we see you guys that came out on the streets, and actually, this one is for you. We love you Denver, this one is for you.”
Denver’s eldest player, Jeff Green, waited 16 years for this moment. He celebrated his first NBA title on Thursday just 2 months away from his 37th birthday.
“All I gotta say is MILE HIGH, BABY!” screamed Green to the crowd. “Thank you, guys. It was a great season, grinding season. Your guys’ support got us all away, and we appreciate you guys. We did this for you guys, the city of Denver. We did it for you! My teammates, I love you guys. I waited 16 long years for this moment.”
The Nuggets aren’t done yet. They’re not satisfied. They want more.
Just this weekend, the Phoenix Suns, who Denver beat in the second round, acquired superstar guard Bradley Beal in a blockbuster deal. Miami, who Denver took care of in 5 games in the NBA Finals, appears to be in hot pursuit of Damian Lillard. The competition is already regrouping take down this potential juggarnaut in the Rocky Mountains. A Denver team that lost just 4 games all postseason.
But the Nuggets are ready.
“I got a crazy idea, man. I got a crazy idea. I’m kind of crazy. I’m a little bit emotional. Let’s do it again,” said Malone. “Let’s do this again. I want to be on another float.”
