DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets are assembling for a parade Thursday through downtown Denver to celebrate their first NBA title.
There's rain in the forecast but nothing can dampen the festive mood as swarms of fans line the streets in a celebration that culminates at Civic Center Park. This has been a long time in the making. It took 47 seasons in the NBA for the franchise to finally make Denver the home of the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
The Nuggets capped off an impressive postseason by beating the Miami Heat in the Finals on Monday night in Game 5. The Nuggets finished 16-4 in the playoffs, which was tied for the second-best mark by an NBA champion since the first round was expanded to best-of-seven in 2003. San Antonio also was 16-4 in 2007, and Golden State went 16-1 in 2017.
Jokic is coming off an historic playoff performance, where he became the first player to lead the league in total points (600), rebounds (269) and assists (190) in a single postseason. The two-time NBA MVP added more hardware to his resume, too, capturing the Finals MVP.
With the season now officially closed, Jokic will soon head home to Sombor, Serbia, to spend time with his family and return to his other passion — horse racing. He's hoping to make it back in time to attend a harness race on Sunday.
This is the second straight June the city has held a parade. The Colorado Avalanche were the guests of honor last year after hoisting the Stanley Cup.
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