- The Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat to win their first NBA championship.
- While other players celebrated, Nikola Jokić took time to acknowledge every Heat player.
Nikola Jokić was already arguably the best all-around player in the NBA, and now he can add sportsmanship to the list of his many on-court talents.
Jokić led the Denver Nuggets to the first NBA championship with a win in Game 5 over the Miami Heat Monday night, to take the finals 4-1.
Immediately after the final whistle blew, most of the Nuggets players did what most athletes do when they win a championship: They celebrated with screams, jumping up and down, hugging each other, and even a few tears.
But Jokić was not among them.
As the arena erupted and confetti fell, Jokić sought out every Heat player he could find to give them a hug or shake their hands.
—Cork Gaines, Ph.D. (@CorkGaines) June 13, 2023
It was the ultimate sign of respect for a fallen opponent.
While Jokić stayed humble after the win, his brothers picked up the celebration slack. The brothers are often at Nugget games, and after the win, Strahinja Jokic and Nemanja Jokic were partying on the court and even took head coach Michael Malone for a ride.
—NBA (@NBA) June 13, 2023
After Jokić finished his on-court interviews and accepted the NBA Finals MVP trophy, he did eventually celebrate back in the Nuggets locker room.
Fellow star teammate Jamal Murray clutched a bottle of champagne as Jokić playfully tossed Murray (and himself) into an exercise pool. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Murray put up a fruitless fight against the 6-foot-11, 284-pound Serbian center.
—NBA (@NBA) June 13, 2023
But when the celebration in the locker room was done and it was time to talk to the media, Jokić's humble nature returned and he appeared to be surprised that he would have to attend the victory parade on Thursday, saying he just wanted to go home to his small hometown of Sombor with a population of fewer than 100,000.
—Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 13, 2023