CELEBRATING THE CHAMPIONS

Fans who braved crowds for Nuggets victory parade not disappointed

BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e Hatch family from Northglenn never misses a Denver Nuggets game, if they can help it. ey’ve been dedicated fans since moving to Colorado in 2011 and when the team won its rst NBA championship this week, they knew they’d be at the parade on ursday.

“We never really expected to actually win the championship, but we were hopeful for one,” Ariel Hatch said. “It’s amazing!” e family of ve were among the estimated 700,000 to one million fans to descend on downtown on June 15 to bask in the glory of the a Nuggets NBA title that was more than 50 years in the making. ere, they had the chance to see Finals MVP Nikola Jokic, who famously said he wanted to go home to Serbia following the title-clinching victory on June 12.

Instead, he was in a white Denver re truck with No. 15 in gold letters and his name, the missing Finals MVP trophy nearby. When he nally found his way through the crowd to a podium, the crowd erupted.

“You know that I told you I didn’t want to stay for parade,” Jokic addressed the crowd. “But I [expletive] want to stay for parade. is is the best. We love you, Denver. is is for you.”

He was one of many Nuggets players at the parade. Also there was Head Coach Mike Malone, sta ers, cheerleaders and Rocky the mascot – showered with love, beer, and cheers from the masses as they passed on a procession of re trucks.

David Zuckerman brought his two kids down from the Boulder area to see the spectacle. He said he is thrilled Denver can o cially be called “Champion City” after seeing both the Avalanche hockey team and Nuggets win titles in back-to-back years.

He said the Nuggets are more than a Denver team. ey’re a Colorado team.

“It’s exciting for everyone to be moving in the same direction for something positive, especially considering the Avalanche won last year (also),” Zuckerman said.

Taylor Wright has lived in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood for eight years after moving from Kentucky. ough he’s watched lots of great basketball from the Nuggets, and has become a self-proclaimed diehard fan, he wasn’t sure if they could really win a championship until recently.

“After the performance in the NBA bubble in 2020, it seemed more realistic,” he said. “It’s unreal to witness a franchise winning its rst championship, though.”

Ashley Guss of Adams County said her family has been strong Nuggets