The Nuggets didn’t want to celebrate one of the sweetest moments in franchise history in a hotel ballroom.
They wanted to do it Friday night.
When the NBA delivered Nikola Jokic’s MVP trophy to a Phoenix hotel mid-morning this past Monday — a day before the news became official — the thinking was that the trophy would be part of the surprise. In addition to Commissioner Adam Silver breaking the news to Jokic himself via Zoom during a team film session, the trophy would be in Phoenix, available for a perfect Kodak moment.
But while the hardware was hidden from Jokic and other members of the Nuggets’ traveling party, team officials, including Josh Kroenke, decided they didn’t want to unveil the franchise’s first-ever NBA MVP in a stale, unremarkable setting.