The Denver Nuggets are NBA champions for the first time ever. It took Nikola Jokic and the squad five games to beat the Miami Heat, winning the 2023 NBA Finals in front of their home crowd at Ball Arena.

Jokic adds to his incredible resumé with a Finals MVP award and never-before-seen playoff production, pushing him even further up the list of the greatest basketball player of all time. Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. became champions after fighting through brutal injuries over the past few seasons. Michael Malone wins his first championship as a head coach after eight seasons with Denver.

Plenty of veterans got their first taste of a title after long careers, too. Ish Smith got his first championship after 13 seasons with 13 different teams. DeAndre Jordan won his first ring in his first season with the Nuggets in his 15th season. Jeff Green, in his second season with the Nuggets, also won his first ring in his 15th season in the NBA after playing for 10 previous teams.

The Nuggets did a lot of well-deserved celebrating after their historic win. Here are five moments you may have scrolled past or otherwise missed from one of the greatest nights in Denver history.

5. Jokic's great sportsmanship

Jokic's nonchalance after winning the ultimate prize was apparent as soon as ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters caught up with him. “It's good. It's good,” Jokic said. “The job is done. We can go home.” Asking a Nuggets PR person at the postgame podium when the parade is and saying that he has to go home further showed that the man just wants to get back to his horses in Serbia.

Additionally, right after the final buzzer, Jokic displayed great sportsmanship by going up to each Heat player and congratulating them on a great season. From Jimmy Butler to Kevin Love to Udonis Haslem to Nikola Jovic to Haywood Highsmith, who was walking in the other direction but was stopped to be acknowledged, the Nuggets superstar went up to them all after the win.

The Heat deserve a ton of respect from basketball fans for their playoff run. They fought hard each game, upsetting teams in the Eastern Conference along the way and surviving what would have been the biggest playoff collapse ever by preventing a blown 3-0 lead. The Nuggets were the better team but the Heat, despite only winning one game in the series, did not go down easily.

4. Former Nuggets players celebrating

The Nuggets' core of Jokic, Murray, Porter and Malone have been together for a few years but have had numerous players fill the supporting cast around them. Denver fans and media looked back fondly on many of the role players that helped the team grow over the years, such as Gary Harris, Paul Millsap, P.J. Dozier and Torrey Craig. Some of the familiar faces sounded off on the Nuggets' championship conquest.

Wilson Chandler, one of the first players to be on the receiving end of Jokic's incredible passes, congratulated the Nuggets after their victory. Juancho Hernangomez was elated for his former team, sending his love to the team where he started his career with.

One reaction from a former Nuggets player that got a good amount of attention was a tweet from Brandon Goodwin, who averaged just 1.4 points per game with Denver.

Initially, one might assume that Goodwin was a role player that the Nuggets got rid of at some point during the season. Nope. Goodwin last played for Denver in 2019. He didn’t appear in a single NBA game this season and last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He had to have asked for a ring as a troll, right?

3. Nuggets singing “We Are the Champions”

Queen's iconic song “We Are the Champions” is a staple in just about every sport for those who win the grand prize. The Nuggets sang along to the song on the court after winning the championship. They sang it once again in the locker room, letting the champagne and beer flow as they belted it out one last time.

The scene in the locker room is surely a dream environment for Nuggets players and staffers. Winning an NBA championship is always sweet but it is especially the case for first-time champions. A shirtless Jordan embracing his teammates, Aaron Gordon and Thomas Bryant spraying beer everywhere and plenty of visitors made it a fantastic scene for the champions.

2. Jamal Murray's message to Stan Kroenke

Jokic might have had the best-ever playoff run for a single player — there's certainly an argument to be made — and Murray might have had the best-ever run for a second option. His partnership with Jokic makes the Nuggets nearly impossible to guard. Although he showed how dominant he can be in the postseason in 2020, getting to the Finals and continuing his playoff greatness was no guarantee.

After tearing his ACL in the 2021 season and missing the entire next season, Murray believed he would eventually get traded as Denver looked to waste no time in Jokic's window. The Nuggets front office had deals lined up but Malone shut them down. It was a wise decision, as the 26-year-old guard had a fantastic run. He showed immense gratitude to Malone and owner Stan Kroenke after the victory.

“Way to get you one, baby. Way to get you one,” Murray said to Kroenke. “I appreciate you staying patient with me. I appreciate you staying patient with me. Y’all could have gone a different route, I appreciate you staying with me, man. We got it done.”

Murray could help but let the waterworks flow after the buzzer sounded and in his postgame interview. The emotions deserved to be let out after a long, hard battle to get back to this point.

1. Jokic dishing out champagne showers

While he didn’t express his profound happiness with his words, Jokic got in on the celebrating in the locker room. Wearing none of the championship gear, he popped the cork and showered everyone near him with champagne.

Many NBA fans doubted Jokic's ability to lead a team to the championship. His less-than-elite defense gave the appearance that the Nuggets would never be good enough on that side of the ball to win it all. Being paired with guys like Murray and Porter, who also don’t have sterling reputations on that end, exacerbated the concerns.

Jokic kicked down those concerns this season by playing his own way and raising his game in the postseason. He has claimed the title of the best player in the world after completely dominating whoever stood in his way. His size, shooting touch and IQ gave opposing defenses fits on the regular. The Nuggets lost just four games this entire postseason thanks in part to Jokic being nearly impossible to stop.

The Nuggets built their team up steadily and have reached the mountain top. And with their core players still in their prime years, they may very well get back there again.