The Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers kick off the 2023-24 NBA season Wednesday night, with the Western Conference rivals squaring off in Mile High City. But before that, Nikola Jokic and company received their NBA championship rings for topping the league in the previous season.

Here's a closer look at the rings.

The Nuggets are still on a high several months after they had Denver's first-ever NBA championship parade. To receive the rings just before their first game of the new season certainly gives Jokic and the team even more motivation to win it again. Of course, that's going to be easier said than done, but they are well-equipped to do it. So long as Jokic is healthy and surrounded by a quality supporting cast, Denver will always be a major threat to the rest of the league.

Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter, and Christian Braun are still around to make things easier for the Serbian big man, who should be a major contender for the Most Valuable Player award again.

As for the Lakers, witnessing the Nuggets receive their rings must have also injected even more desire in them to take down the same team that eliminated them from the 2023 NBA Playoffs. It can be remembered that the Nuggets embarrassed Los Angeles in the 2023 Western Conference Finals, sweeping the Purple & Gold in four games.

After dealing with LeBron and the Lakers, the Nuggets will hit the road for the first time this season with a matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.