CHAMPIONS

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 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 fans since the J.R. Smith days, and to see a championship come to fruition is surreal.

“I knew as soon as we went up in the nals series that we were coming out here for the parade to celebrate,” agrees. e fans here have really embraced the entire team,” Jacobsen said.

“Watching these guys this whole season really shows how much they deserve to win it. It’s great to see them get what they’ve worked so hard for.

Festivities kicked o with a pre-rally at Civic Center Park at 9 a.m., followed by the parade at 10 a.m. that traveled from Union Station to Civic Center Park.

During the parade, players and coaches signed merchandise. ey even hopped o the oats to interact coaches addressed the massive con- have been supporting this team for 47 years … We’re some greedy [expletive], baby. We’re getting another one. It’s hitting me right now. For me, to share it with our fans, that means the world to me. is is an amazing experience. Something that I believed in. I had no doubt that we’d get to this point.”

Fans from all the corners of Colorado came. ey hailed from Fort Collins in the north to Pueblo in the south to Grand Junction in the west. ey might as well rename the team the Colorado Nuggets.