Nikola Jokić might’ve had good reason for wanting to get out of Denver as fast as he could.
Jokić’s wife, Natalija, got hit in the face with a flying beer can during Thursday’s championship parade after the Nuggets won their first NBA title in franchise history on June 12 against the Miami Heat.
The beer was tossed onto the moving float that Jokić, Natalija and the couple’s one-year-old daughter Ognjena were sitting on with the Larry O’Brien and MVP trophies.
Natalija was seen holding the right side of her face and mouth as Jokić checked on her.
The Jokices rode in the lead float along with Nuggets teammate Jamal Murray — with special guests, the Larry O’Brien Trophy and the Bill Russell Trophy.
“The Joker,” 28, was not a big proponent of the celebration from the start.
The All-Star center went viral in the championship postgame for saying he needed to “go home” and groaning when notified he had to stick around until Thursday before jetting off for Serbia.
Despite the incident with Natalija and the beer can, Jokić seemed to change his opinion on the parade while addressing the thousands in the Denver crowd.
“You know I told that I didn’t want to stay for Parade,” Jokić said at the podium. “But I f-king want to stay for parade. This is the best day of my f-ing life. This is amazing.”
“We’re all going to remember this our whole lives, and when we see you guys that came out on the streets, this one is for you. We love you Denver, this one is for you,” Jokić added.
Jokić had a monstrous postseason en route to the championship victory.
He averaged 30.2 points,14 rebounds and 7.2 assists in the five-game series and was unanimously named the Finals MVP.
