Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets championship parade just took a somber turn ... a police officer was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries after being struck by a firetruck that was participating in the ceremonies.

According to the Denver Police Dept. ... the incident happened just minutes ago while the truck was driving along the parade route in the Mile High City.

You can see in video from the scene, Nuggets superstars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray -- as well as the Larry O'Brien trophy -- were on the vehicle when the accident occurred.

It's unclear how exactly the officer was hurt ... but cops said in a statement Thursday afternoon they have launched an investigation into it all.

Jokic and Murray were not harmed during the incident -- and both were escorted off the truck by officials. The two are now up onstage addressing the huge crowd of supporters that have been out since early Thursday morning celebrating the team's first-ever title.

The Denver Nuggets' NBA championship parade is officially underway ... and things are already off to a hot start -- with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope getting into a beer-chugging contest with a fan in the crowd!!

The awesome moment went down as the team made its way through the streets on firetrucks ... when KCP decided to hop off and down some brews with a lucky supporter.

The basketball player destroyed his competition ... but no one seemed to really be keeping score, as the two hugged it out at the end -- and the fan lost his damn mind.

Not everyone was guzzling the beers on hand, though -- Christian Braun did a sort of Triple H/"Stone Cold" Steve Austin combination by spitting out his drink as his truck cruised down the street.

Finals MVP Nikola Jokic has his whole family with him for the celly ... so we take it he'll mostly be on his best behavior -- but we're hoping he decides to let loose a bit.

The parade will end at Civic Center Park ... where the team will hold its rally.

Hopefully, there will be some boozed-up speeches on the horizon!!

The mass shooting after the Nuggets' championship win in Denver on Tuesday morning appeared to be sparked by a drug deal gone wrong ... this according to cops.

Denver chief of police Ron Thomas made the revelation on Tuesday afternoon ... explaining that they discovered cash, firearms and what appeared to be fentanyl at the scene -- all signs that point toward a botched drug deal.

Two people, Thomas said, are in police custody -- though their exact involvement remains unclear.

Of the 10 people that sustained gunshot wounds, authorities said they believe five or six were innocent bystanders. All 10, thankfully, are now in "fair condition," according to officials ... though five still remain in the hospital.

The gunshots initially broke out about a mile from Ball Arena at around 12:30 AM ... roughly three and a half hours after Denver beat Miami to win the NBA title in Game 5.

Officials praised the actions of responding officers -- releasing video from the scene that showed cops running toward the gunshots in an effort to keep people safe.

An investigation into it all, officials added, remains ongoing.

The Drake curse may officially be over. The hip-hop superstar hit on two massive bets when the Denver Nuggets secured the 'chip in 5 games, profiting over 800 grand!

The 36-year-old superstar placed two bets on the Denver Nuggets back on June 1, before game 1 was played. The first wager ... risking $1 million on the Nuggets to win the series outright (pays 1.23 mil total). The second ... Drizzy put up $250K on the Nuggets winning the series in 5 games (pays $850K).

All told (assuming Drake isn't holding back any losing tickets), the rapper, minus what he risked, won $830K!

It's a good sign for many of the most popular teams across the sports landscape. Of course, Drake's notorious for rooting for, and betting on teams or athletes ... who have then had a reputation for losing.

Thus, the Drake curse.

The Kentucky Wildcats basketball team fell victim to it, and so did the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. Conor McGregor, too (though Khabib probably deserves the credit here).

Not all have fell victim. Drake's beloved Toronto Raptors won the title in 2019, Tyson Fury, who the rapper supported against Deontay Wilder in 2021, also won.

Now, you can add the Nuggets to that list.

An NBA championship celebration in Denver quickly turned from jubilation to terror ... as 10 people were injured in a mass shooting in the city following the Nuggets' win.

According to the Denver Police Dept. ... the shooting took place about a mile from Ball Arena at around 12:30 AM on Tuesday morning.

Full details surrounding the incident are not yet clear -- cops described the scene as "a complex" situation -- though they did say 10 total people had sustained gunshot wounds.

Cops revealed one of the injured has been identified as a suspect. Three others, police said, are in critical condition. The rest "are believed to have non-life-threatening injuries."

"As far as what led up to this altercation that resulted in the shots being fired, that’s still under investigation at this time," a police spokesperson said. "It did occur in the area where we had largest gathering of folks celebrating during the night."

Photos from the scene show authorities have marked off the area with caution tape as an investigation continues.

Just prior to the shooting, it had been nothing but a good time for those in the city who were celebrating the Nuggets' 94-89 Game 5 victory over the Heat.

Fans had climbed street poles to cheer on their NBA team with others -- before they hurled themselves into happy crowds below.

Others were seen shooting off fireworks to commemorate the team's first-ever title.

Inside the arena, meanwhile, Nuggets players couldn't have been happier to finish off their championship run ... the guys doused each other in booze in the locker room -- and at one point, series MVP Nikola Jokic tossed Jamal Murray into a pool.

The Miami Heat are on the ropes in the NBA Finals, but their celeb turnout is still top-seeded in the league ... right up there with legendary LA Lakers Showtime.

Lil Wayne, Conor McGregor, G-Eazy, Chris Tucker and J. Balvin filed into the primo seats at Miami's Kaseya Center.

McGregor actually got some playing time -- not in the game, which the Denver Nuggets won -- but he was part of the center court entertainment. The UFC legend squared off with the Heat mascot Burnie ... and earned a one-punch W.

Some other famous fans in the crowd included Odell Beckham Jr., Flo Rida, Forest Whitaker, Neymar, Ozuna and Paul Pogba.

If Nikola Jokic can finish off the Miami Heat this month, he'd have a serious case to be on the Mt. Rushmore of Denver sports athletes ... so says Terrell Davis.

The Broncos legend didn't specify where exactly the Nuggets big man would rank amongst the John Elways, Patrick Roys and Todd Heltons ... but he did say a championship would put Jokic right there with the city's all-time greats.

"He's up there already," Davis told TMZ Sports, "and this would only cement his place in the greatest athletes to come out of Denver."

Davis said this title would carry some more weight than others in Denver sports history ... as it'd be their first NBA one.

"When you bring a city its only championship, you're going to be held to a really, really high place there," the former running back said. "And, I think Jokic is on his way."

Of course, Davis would know a thing or two about the matter ... he said following his first Super Bowl win with the Broncos in 1998, it changed the way fans interacted with him around the city forever.

Davis promises to keep cheering on Jokic too -- despite his incident at the Nuggets vs. Heat Game 2 on Sunday night.

If you missed it, Davis found himself in the middle of a Heat celebration sandwich near the end of the tilt -- and his disappointed reaction was priceless.

But, Davis was a good sport when recapping it all with us ... and he said there's no chance it'll deter him from coming back to Ball Arena later this series.

Aaron Gordon is a helluva basketball player and apparently one whale of a teammate too ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the Nuggets star gifted Jamal Murray a sick diamond pendant before the start of this week's NBA Finals.

We're told AG was so thrilled over the way Murray's helped lead Denver this season ... he hit up Mile High Jewelers to make a custom piece to show his appreciation.

Gordon wanted the new bling to represent Murray's signature on-court celebration ... and the jeweler certainly delivered.

You can see the piece features a bow and arrow ... with Murray's initials and jersey No. 27 in it. We're told it's all filled with 10 carats of white and blue VVS diamonds.

We're also told it took 10 days to make, which is an expedited time as Gordon wanted to be sure Murray had it before the start of the NBA Finals on Thursday.

And, check out the video, Murray was pumped to receive it earlier this week!!

"[Aaron] wanted to show his appreciation for his outstanding play, effort and being a great teammate/brother during his time in Denver," the jeweler told us.

Murray is certainly deserving of the present from Gordon -- the 26-year-old averaged 20 points, 6.2 assists and 4 rebounds per game in the regular season ... and has absolutely balled out this playoffs.

The NBA Finals are underway ... and while most of the sports world is focused on Nikola Jokic and Jimmy Butler, it's time to put the spotlight on the REAL stars of the series -- the wives and girlfriends of the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets!!

Jokic's wife, Natalija, has been supporting the 2-time MVP ever since he was in high school ... and continues to do so in the stands throughout her man's pro career (alongside his famous brothers).

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's pregnant wife, McKenzie, might pull up to a few games with her growing baby bump ... and DeAndre Jordan's "boo bear", Bethany, will certainly be pulling for her man as well.

When it comes to the Heat, expect to see Udonis Haslem's wife, Faith ... considering this may very well be her last chance to watch his games before he retires.

Kevin Love's model wife, Kate, knows her way around the Finals dating back to his days in Cleveland ... and there's hope Katya Elise Henry will get to catch Tyler Herro come back from injury and get some minutes.

It's not just the players with beautiful partners -- Erik Spoelstra's wife, Nikki, has been there every step of the way ... and we're sure she helped keep him calm throughout the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Denver Nuggets had a ton of horsepower rooting for them in the stands during Game 1 of the NBA Finals ... 'cause current and former Broncos like Peyton Manning, Russell Wilson and coach Sean Payton were present for the big win!!

The trio of NFL greats were in great spirits as the home team wrecked the Miami Heat 104-93 ... and they all had the best seats in Ball Arena.

Manning was smiling from ear to ear throughout the night ... even spending some time chopping it up with Shaquille O'Neal.

Wilson hit up the game with his stepson, Future Zahir ... and the youngster came dressed to support the hometown team, wearing a No. 27 Jamal Murray jersey.

Payton -- who joined the Broncos this offseason -- is clearly fitting in with his new home ... as the Super Bowl-winning coach appeared zoned in on all the action.

Not all the celebs stood by and watched, though ... 'cause comedian Ken Jeong hilariously bombed multiple half-court shots after watching Nuggets mascot "Rocky" nail a backward, over-the-head heave from the same spot.

"The Hangover" star was a good sport about it all ... and the raucous crowd got a kick out of his failures.

Longtime NBA referee Eric Lewis won't be needing his whistle anytime soon ... the league just announced he will not work the Finals amid an investigation into claims he used a Twitter burner account to defend himself and his colleagues.

The Association just announced the officials for the Denver Nuggets vs. Miami Heat series ... and Lewis, who previously worked the last four NBA Finals, was not one of the 12 individuals selected for the matchup.

NBA spokesperson Mike Bass confirmed the omission is directly related to the investigation ... saying, "Regarding Eric Lewis and the social media posts, we are continuing to review the matter, and he will not be working the Finals."

The NBA launched a probe into Lewis, a 19-year veteran who has officiated over 1,200 regular and postseason games, after a Twitter account responded to posts on league officiating, seemingly defending Lewis and his contemporaries.

The tweets in question have reportedly been deleted, but the account, listed under "Blair Cuttliff" with the handle @CuttliffBlair, is still active.

It's unclear if Lewis was really behind the burner account. It's a big problem if he was ... as the NBA has a rule prohibiting referees from publicly commenting on officiating without authorization.

Lots of Los Angelenos were disappointed Saturday night with the Lakers getting shellacked ... including a score of celebs who watched ... mostly on the hardwood of course!

Lakers vs. Nuggets Game 3 was a no-contest event, with the Lakers losing by a score of 119 to 108.  Among those who winced as they watched ... Adele, Jake Gyllenhaal, Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy, Robert Pattinson, Andy Garcia, Jimmy Iovine, Flea and Jennifer Hudson.

Jack Nicholson should get his own, separate call out, so here it is ... he was on hand with his son, Ray.

But wait, there's more ... Eddie Murphy was hobnobbing it with entertainment titan Jeffrey Katzenberg.

Mark Jackson is addressing his controversial decision to leave Nikola Jokic off his MVP ballot ... apologizing to the Nuggets star and claiming it was a complete oversight.

Jackson was the ONLY media member to not include the two-time MVP in his top-five players this season ... electing to go with Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Donovan Mitchell instead.

The submission resulted in a ton of backlash ... with Charles Barkley saying, "There's one person -- I don't even know this fool's name -- didn't even have Joker in the top five. People like that shouldn't get a vote ... He's a damn idiot."

Jackson broke his silence on the matter on Thursday ... and he believes the criticism is warranted.

"Made an honest mistake with my MVP votes," Jackson said on Twitter. "My apologies to the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic. He’s not only a legitimate MVP candidate who deserved my vote, but he is truly one of the all time greats!"

"Again my apologies."

Jackson further explained what happened on "NBA Today" on SiriusXM ... saying he actually thought he was voting for All-NBA teams. Had he known, he claims he would have included Jokic third on his list ... behind Embiid and Giannis.

Jackson said he completely understands if the mix-up results in losing the privilege ... adding, "If you want to take away my vote or whatever, you're more than welcome."

The good news? Jackson's snub ultimately didn't matter ... as Embiid would have won regardless.

Nikola Jokic's 53-point masterpiece Sunday night was somewhat overshadowed ... the Nuggets' superstar had a heated exchange with a "fan," who turned out to be Suns' owner Mat Ishbia.

Ishbia was sitting along the baseline for Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals game between the Nuggets and Suns ... when things got testy in the second quarter.

Suns forward Josh Okogie was trying to gain possession of a loose ball when he flew into the area where Ishbia was sitting, prompting Mat to check on his player. The owner was holding the basketball.

Jokic sprinted over to Ishbia and tried to take it from his arms, but the Suns' owner wasn't giving it up, which clearly ticked Nikola off.

As Jokic tries to get the ball back from the 43-year-old billionaire, the two-time MVP nudges him with his left forearm, prompting an exaggerated flop from Ishbia, who fell backward in his seat.

Fortunately, officials quickly intervened and were able to separate everyone ... however, Nikola was slapped with a technical foul for "deliberately" making contact with Ishbia.

Ishbia reportedly told the Associated Press at halftime that he was more concerned with the outcome of the playoff game than the incident with Jokic.

"The fan put a hand on me first," Jokic told reporters after the game. "I thought the league is supposed to protect us. But maybe I'm wrong."

Meanwhile, Nuggets head coach Mike Malone supported his star player, saying he thought it was "crazy" Jokić got a technical foul for trying to get the ball from a fan, and added he doesn't "give a s***" the fan was the Suns' owner.

The NBA has yet to announce if they will discipline Jokić further with a fine or suspension, but with Game 5 on Tuesday in Denver and the series hanging in the balance, Nuggets fans are holding their collective breaths.

Jamal Murray needed both Nikola Jokic and a referee to keep him from going after a fan in the stands during Thursday night's game ... with the Denver Nuggets star losing his cool over disrespectful words being hurled his way.

The altercation was caught on video -- showing Murray on the court playing against the Pistons in Little Caesars Arena as multiple Pistons fans heckle him.

Murray heard the jabs loud and clear ... and once the whistle was blown to stop the play, the 6'4" guard began walking toward the guy with a few words of his own.

The referee immediately got in Murray's way and held him back ... while the guy in the crowd yelled, "you ain't gon' do s*** boy!!!"

Jokic -- who stands at 6'11" -- ran over to assist the ref ... and pulled Murray back to center court.

Arena security witnessed the exchange between Murray and the man ... and you can see in the video what seems to be police officers pointing at the guy in the stands.

As of now, it's unclear if the fan was removed from the arena or if he received any punishment.

BTW, the Pistons lost ... and currently have the worst record in the NBA. The Nuggets, however, are No. 4 in the league and lead the Western Conference.

Do better, people.

Bones Hyland has only been a Clipper for a minute, but the former Nuggets star can already bond with his new teammates over a horrific incident they experienced last month ... admitting "we thought it was over wit" after their plane was struck by lightning.

It all went down on Feb. 25 -- the Clippers were flying to Denver for a contest against Hyland's former team the following day ... when disaster suddenly struck.

The Clippers' team plane began to shake and rattle moments after departing from LAX ... and several players reported hearing a loud bang before the plane's engine went silent momentarily.

"Us players, we're trying to nap away," Eric Gordon told ESPN, calling it the second-worst flight he has experienced in his 15 NBA seasons. "Oh, everybody was up after that for sure."

The engine eventually came back on ... but multiple staffers aboard the aircraft echoed Gordon's sentiments -- saying it was one of the worst moments they've experienced on a flight, according to the outlet.

The Delta Air Lines plane transporting the Clippers landed safely in Colorado ... but the team noticed visible damage on the tail of the aircraft, indicating it had, indeed, been struck by lightning.

As if the lightning-strike scare wasn't horrifying enough ... just four days later, the team was walking the tarmac at LAX to board their charter flight to San Francisco when it started hailing.

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue quipped, "Our luck was so bad, we even got struck by lightning."