Nikola Jokic had a very busy day on Tuesday. He won the NBA championship and lost the MVP award in the Finals.
The Denver Nuggets star completed a seal legacy playoff run with an NBA Finals win in Game 5, and was a unanimous Finals MVP after averaging 30.2 points, 14.0 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.4 blocks while shooting 58.3% from the field and 42.1% shooting. From a 3-point set against the Miami Heat.
As you might expect, it was a joyous scene in the Nuggets’ locker room after the game. Joki had the internet laughing for how calm he was during the proceedings, but it seemed like he was having enough fun to lose track of something very important.
As is Caption by Melica Andrews from ESPN, left the Finals Cup MVP in the room of longtime Nuggets equipment manager Sparky Gonzalez. When he returned, the cup was gone, as he explained at the 1:39 mark below:
Question and answer:
Andrews: “I have to tell you, I’ve done a couple of these final MVP interviews. You’re the first one to come up without the trophy. Where is it?”
Jokic: “I really don’t know. I left her in Sparky’s room and she’s not there anymore. So I don’t know, but I hope she gets to my house.”
Fortunately, the story has a happy ending, as do many aspects of the Nuggets season. Andrews later reported that Gonzalez owns the trophy, which will be ready for Thursday’s Nuggets championship parade.
For what it’s worth, Jokić didn’t exactly display Gollum-esque devotion to the Finals MVP Trophy during the post-game festivities. As many have noted, Nuggets guard Bruce Brown was carrying the trophy onto the stage at one point because Jokic left it there while he went to see his family.
Whether the trophy is found or not, Jokić clearly knows what his priorities are, and that’s evident during the Nuggets’ playoff run. That’s still true now that the season is over: He’s legitimately anxious about getting home to Serbia in time for Sunday’s horse race.