Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Entertainment
Jelani Scott

Nuggets, Nikola Jokic Praised By Sports World, Fans After Clinching First NBA Title

Nikola Jokic Nuggets NBA Denver (Organization) Barack Obama Dick Vitale Jamal Murray Earvin “Magic” Johnson Mike Malone Nikola Jokić

The Nuggets became one of the top topics on social media on Monday night after closing out the Heat to win the 2023 NBA Finals, 4–1.

Denver’s 94–89 Game 5 victory over Miami gave the franchise its first championship in its 47-year existence, ending the NBA’s longest running title drought in the team’s first-ever trip to the Finals. The win also capped a dominant 16-4 postseason run.

The narrow win featured more heroics from Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, as the Nuggets star duo once again paced their team to victory. Jokic, who stamped his record-breaking postseason with the Bill Russell Finals MVP Award, finished with a game-high 28 points and 16 rebounds while Murray added 14 points, eight boards and eight assists. Denver also leaned on its defense to erase a seven-point halftime deficit, holding Miami to just 38 points in the second half and forcing Heat star Jimmy Butler into a subpar 5-for-18 shooting night from the field.

Buy now: Sports Illustrated's Denver Nuggets Commemorative Issue!

As the city of Denver celebrated the Nuggets’s historic title win, many famous fans and supporters from around the world weighed on the franchise’s big night. Check below for some of the best reactions:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
JJ Redick brutally roasted Shaq for not being able to dunk in high school despite being 7-feet tall
Poor Shaq wasn't always SHAQ.
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Jerry Seinfeld’s Pop-Tart Movie Starts on Netflix May 3
‘Unfrosted’ is about the battle in Battle Creek, as Kellogg’s and Post fight to invent perfect breakfast treat
Broadcasting & Cable
Broadcasting & Cable
Makeup brand faces outrage over 'disrespectful' foundation shade
Another makeup brand appears to have missed the mark.
The Street
The Street
Unpacking Drew's cringe "Momala" moment
Was it the close-talking or the fact that other powerful women wouldn't have been asked to hug the nation?
Salon
Salon
“It was very emotional. He said, ‘This is where it belongs’”: Jon Bon Jovi has been reunited with the first guitar he ever owned, 45 years after he sold it
The singer wrote a song with the Univox Stratocaster copy for the band's forthcoming album, Forever
Guitar World
Guitar World
The fight for up-front nutrition labels
A survey found that 75% of American consumers are for moving nutrition facts to the front of food packages
Salon
Salon
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play