“He became the Lakers daddy!” – Michael Malone gets wild introduction from Vic Lombardi at Nuggets' championship parade
Michael Malone received a wild introduction from Vic Lombardi at the Denver Nuggets' championship parade on Thursday. The event, which Finals MVP Nikola Jokic stayed in town for despite initial protests, drew in a massive crowd of fans who were all eager to celebrate.
Malone, who also served as a coach for the NBA All-Star Game this year, has continued to earn praise for his coaching efforts following the win. After joining the Denver Nuggets in 2015, Malone quickly began to make his presence felt in the Mile High City.
In his first season, he coached the team to the second seed in the playoffs, marking their first postseason appearance in six years. Fast forward to today, and Malone has earned respect from around the league after coaching the Nuggets to their first NBA title.
During the team's championship parade, Malone was given quite the introduction on Thursday as Vic Lombardi stated:
"He came into this world as the son of a coach, but in these playoffs he became the Lakers' daddy."
Naturally, the comments from Lombardi made quite an impression on the NBA community. Some fans laughed off the remarks, while others questioned why the focus was on the Nuggets' win over the Lakers rather than their championship win.
Michael Malone tells fans the team isn't satisfied with one championship
While the championship win marked a massive moment for the Denver Nuggets, Michael Malone said that he and the team aren't quite satisfied yet. During the parade, Malone spoke on the TV broadcast directly from the team's bus:
"This is Michael Malone, coming from downtown Denver on parade day, and I am surrounded by 500,000 of my best friends. And my beautiful wife. And I just want to say to Nuggets nation: Eight years for me, and 47 years for you.
"I appreciate your patience, this is a beautiful day, and we love each and every one of you guys so what a great day to celebrate a championship, but we're not done yet. We some greedy bastards, baby. We're getting another one!"
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The parade also saw Finals MVP Nikola Jokic address the crowd, where he stated that initially he didn't want to stick around for the parade. Despite that, he admitted that he now wants to stay at the parade, calling the day one of the best of his life.
With Michael Malone under contract through the end of the 2024-25 season, and much of the Nuggets core set to return, the team will look to go back-to-back next year.
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