Thousands turn out to celebrate Nuggets' championship
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Jamal Murray (lef) and Nikola Jokić wave to fans during the Denver Nuggets victory parade and rally after winning the 2023 NBA Championship on June 15 in Denver. Photo: Justin Edmonds/Getty Images
Wherever the Denver fire truck went, the roar from the crowd followed.
Driving the news: Thousands of people flocked to downtown Denver on a picturesque Thursday for the victory parade celebrating the Denver Nuggets winning their first NBA title.
- Supporters lined 17th Street and Broadway to catch a glimpse of Finals MVP Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray. The duo carried both the MVP and Larry O'Brien Championship trophies.
Details: It was total pandemonium, with fans screaming and chanting "MVP" whenever Jokić passed by and yelling at the top of their lungs when they realized they were as close as they might ever be to the NBA superstar.
Zoom in: Aaron Gordon enjoyed the parade route on foot for a bit, high-fiving fans and signing whatever they threw at him, which included basketballs, jerseys and some shoes.
- Fans also tossed beer at Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, which the duo managed to catch most times before promptly chugging .
- Nuggets head coach Michael Malone gifted one fan, Drew Kleppe, a beer he managed to throw across the middle of 17th Street. Kleppe downed it immediately, drinking some while the rest soaked his t-shirt.
What they're saying: "For us Nuggets fans that have been loyal, that have been lifelong [fans] it was nice to get this championship to just turn the narrative around," Derek Seifried, of Commerce City, told us while carrying a home-made sign with a not-so-nice message to one sports cable network.
- Seifried grew up in a farm on the Eastern Plains in Limon listening to Nuggets games on the radio.
Between the lines: The celebration stopped for a few moments as law enforcement helped a Denver police officer who was struck by the first truck near 13th Avenue and Cherokee Street, near the end of the parade.
- Police said the officer was hospitalized with serious injures and the crash is under investigation.
- The crash prompted Jokić and Murray to finish the parade on an armored police vehicle.
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