After receiving the Larry O’Brien trophy, Nuggets star Nikola Jokic and his teammates celebrate their monumental championship win alongside their families and fans. photo by Jack Dempsey
The Denver Nuggets won their first ever championship during the 2022-23 season, and it’s one that Colorado sports fans are sure to never forget.
Seconds after the final buzzer sounded on June 12th, 2023, the city of Denver erupted like never before as the Nuggets secured their first ever National Basketball Association (NBA) championship. This title is one that many Denver natives have been waiting for for much of their lives, which is why it wasn’t much of a surprise when the entire city electrified in an instant. The scene that night in downtown Denver was nothing short of spectacular: streets filled with ecstatic fans – some even hanging from street lights – and city roads packed with mobs chanting loudly. Several Nuggets players even joined the fans in the celebration themselves, and that was just one of the many exciting events that occurred downtown that thrilling night.
Denver’s NBA team clinched the championship title after winning their best-of-seven series against the Miami Heat four games to one, with a game five final score of 94-89 lighting up the scoreboard. Whether fans watched from their living rooms, attended the game in person, or gathered in popular Denver sports bars and watch areas (like McGregor Square), the celebration began well before the final buzzer. Many students at Thomas Jefferson High School were lucky enough to be downtown at the time, experiencing the “crazy, immaculate vibes,” as TJ senior Saben Snyder described it. Snyder has been a die-hard Nuggets fan for over four years, and was ecstatic to find out that he could now call his team “the best team in the league.” Despite his disappointment with the MVP results (as Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic fell to Joel Embiid), Snyder believes that Jokic will make a triumphant comeback in 2024.
Senior Delina Abraham, a loyal Nuggets fan for over a decade, was also in downtown Denver when the Nuggets won it all. According to her, the atmosphere was rowdy and energetic. “There were so many people, so it was a lot of fun and they were all super excited for the win,” said Abraham. She felt strongly about Nuggets starter Bruce Brown leaving the team after the championship, explaining that it was strange that he left the team that just won it all. Despite this, Abraham still thinks the Nuggets have a good chance to win the championship a second time. Having been a fan for so long, she was justifiably excited about the victory. “I’m happy to see Denver win!”
Thursday, June 15th marked the date of the Nuggets’ championship parade. Thousands of fans took to the streets near Union Station to support the team as a community. Coaches, players, their families, and even Denver’s mayor, Michael Hancock, found themselves in the spotlight. The Nuggets concluded their championship season with the best win/loss record in the NBA’s Western Conference (not to mention first in the entire league), boasting an impressive record of 53 wins to only 29 losses. The Nuggets’ fan base has every reason to be excited, as the 2022-23 season was unquestionably the best in the history of the Denver Nuggets, and in the upcoming 2023-24 season, the team is set to do it all again.
