As usually happens with NBA championship teams — or any other team, by any means — the Denver Nuggets were unable to retain all their players for the upcoming season.
That’s why it was a bit of a bittersweet moment for Nikola Jokic to unveil the championship banner in the season opener vs. the Los Angeles Lakers.
When asked about his feelings over becoming an NBA champion, Jokic claimed that he missed the guys who are no longer on the team, although he did feel happy because people will remember them as a group once it’s all said and done (via Harrison Wind).
Nikola Jokic on raising the banner: “I missed the guys that are not with us anymore, but we as a group, we’re going to be remembered for a long time. We’re going to be remembered as champions. I think it’s a really nice moment in life.”
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) October 25, 2023
Notably, the Nuggets had to let Bruce Brown Jr., Thomas Bryant, Jeff Green, Ish Smith, and Jack White go between seasons.
The Nuggets didn’t disappoint their fans in the first game of the season.
Despite having spent most of the offseason away from basketball, Jokic picked up things right where he left them last season, dominating Anthony Davis on both ends of the floor with 29 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists, one steal, and three three-pointers on 54.5% from the floor.
The Lakers had done a lot of talking leading to this game, so it was nice to see that coach Mike Malone and company were able to hold their ground and reaffirm their bragging rights over the Purple and Gold.
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Shannon Sharpe, Stephen A. Smith Snub The Nuggets