[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 103 (Tuesday, June 13, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E557]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE 2023 NBA CHAMPION DENVER NUGGETS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DIANA DeGETTE

                              of colordao

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 13, 2023

  Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, along with my colleagues, 
Congressman Doug Lamborn, Congressman Ken Buck, Congressman Joe Neguse, 
Congressman Jason Crow, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, Congresswoman 
Brittany Pettersen and Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo, to congratulate 
the Denver Nuggets on their first-ever NBA championship.
  After an impressive 53 wins in the regular season and a historic run 
through this year's NBA playoffs, the Nuggets--led by five-time NBA All 
Star Nikola Jokic--defeated the Miami Heat on Monday night in Denver to 
clinch the team's first-ever NBA championship.
  It's a moment that Nuggets fans, including myself, have been dreaming 
about since the franchise started in 1967, and I couldn't be more proud 
of everyone associated with this historic team on achieving what many 
thought was impossible.
  For more than 56 seasons, Nuggets fans have been cheering our team to 
victory. While we've had no shortage of talent and victories over the 
years, this is the first time that Denver can now officially call 
itself home to the NBA champs.
  After a spectacular regular season, the Nuggets were able to clinch 
the top seed in the NBA's Western Conference for the first time in 
franchise history. The team then went on an incredible run, beating the 
Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs 4 games to 1; 
eliminating the Phoenix Suns in the second round 4 games to 2; and then 
sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to none to win its first-ever 
Western Conference championship.
  It was the first time the Nuggets had ever beaten the Lakers in a 
playoff series, the first time they had ever swept another team in the 
playoffs, the first time they'd ever won the Western Conference 
Championship, and the first time they'd ever have a chance at hoisting 
the coveted Larry O'Brien trophy in the Mile High City.
  Led by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, that's exactly what the Nuggets 
did this week. After a hard-fought series against the Miami Heat, the 
Nuggets clinched the franchise's first-ever championship trophy on 
Monday.
  It was a fitting finale to a historic championship run. Just days 
earlier, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray made history of their own in 
Game 3 when the pair became the first NBA teammates ever to record 30-
point triple-doubles in the same game during an NBA Finals. They were 
also the first pair of teammates to ever record a combined 300 assists 
during the playoffs, and the first pair to score a combined 1,000 
points in a single postseason.
  Nikola Jokic, who was named MVP of the final series, recorded more 
triple-doubles in this year's postseason than any other player in NBA 
history. He's the first player to lead the league in all three major 
statistical categories during the playoffs: points, rebounds and 
assists; the first center, since Shaquille O'Neal, to lead his team in 
scoring while winning a championship; and only the second player in NBA 
history to average more than 30 points and 8 assists while winning an 
NBA title, a feat that, before now, had been accomplished by only one 
other player in NBA history--and that was Michael Jordan.
  Like so many Denverites, I couldn't be more proud of what our Nuggets 
have accomplished this year--and how, under the leadership of their 
visionary coach Mike Malone, they were able to put teamwork over 
personal gain to bring one of the Nation's most coveted prizes to the 
Mile High City.
  As Coach Malone said right after Monday night's historic victory, ``I 
got news for everybody out there. We're not satisfied with one, we want 
more!''
  We couldn't agree more--and we can't wait to see what this incredible 
team does next.

                          ____________________