Moments after the Denver Nuggets captured their first NBA championship, superstar Nikola Jokic spoke out about his wish to skip the victory parade and return to his native Serbia.
Jokic's wife, Natalija, was hit by a stray beer can during Thursday's parade. The couple’s 1-year-old daughter, Ognjena, was also onboard when the beer can was tossed onto the moving float.
Moments after she was hit, Natalija was seen holding her face and mouth as her husband checked to see if she was OK.
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The parade was held just a few days after the Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
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Jokic's family, his teammate Jamal Murray and other special guests rode along in his float. Jokic was also accompanied by the Larry O'Brien Trophy and the Bill Russell Trophy.
The Bill Russell Trophy is awarded to the NBA Finals MVP. Earlier this week, Jokic admitted he had misplaced the coveted trophy.
"I really don’t know," he said. "I left it in Sparky [Gonzales]‘s room, and it’s not there anymore. So, I don’t know," Jokic told ESPN’s Malika Andrews in an interview that aired Wednesday. Later that night, Andrews reported that the trophy had been located.
Despite the incident with Natalija and the beer can, Jokic appeared to have a change of heart on his feelings about attending the championship parade.
"You know, I told that I didn’t want to stay for parade," Jokić said as he addressed thousands of Nuggets supporters at the parade. "But I f---ing want to stay for parade. This is the best day of my f---ing life. This is amazing."
The Nuggets superstar added that the parade would be a cherished memory.
"We’re all going to remember this our whole lives, and when we see you guys that came out on the streets, this one is for you. We love you Denver, this one is for you," Jokic noted.
Jokic, a two-time NBA MVP, dominated throughout the playoffs. He averaged an impressive 30.2 points, 14 rebounds and 7.2 assists in the NBA Finals.
