Denver Nuggets Win First-ever NBA Championship in Franchise History (2023)

In a hard-fought Game 5, the Denver Nuggets reached the NBA pinnacle on their home court in the Rockies, winning their first-ever NBA championship and setting up the legacy of MVP Nikola Jokić.

Battling foul trouble and a Miami Heat team that refused to give up, Jokić amassed 28 points, 16 rebounds and four assists in the 94-89 victory in front of 19,537 Nuggets fans at the Ball Arena. Jokić received all votes in the Finals MVP voting, concluding a historic playoff run for the 7-foot Serbian and his Denver Nuggets teammates.

As a two-time regular-season MVP and now champion, Jokić joins a heady list of basketball greats that includes only Bob Pettit, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo.