Nikola Jokić Calls Nuggets' Championship Parade the 'Best Time of My F--king Life'

It turns out Nikola Jokić doesn't mind championship parades after all.

After riding through the streets of downtown Denver with his Bill Russell Trophy on Thursday, the NBA Finals MVP thanked the fans that turned out to celebrate the team's first championship.

"You know I told you I didn't want to stay and parade. But I f--king want to stay and parade. This is the best time of my f--king life. This is amazing," Jokić told the cheering Denver crowd.

After the Nuggets beat the Miami Heat in five games earlier this week, however, Jokić felt differently about the upcoming celebrations.

When asked in the postgame press conference if he was looking forward to the championship parade, Jokić asked when it was. When he was told the event would take place in two days, he answered: "No. I need to go home."

Jokić even talked about wanting to go home minutes after winning the championship Monday. He contributed 28 points and 16 rebounds to the Nuggets' 94-89 title-clinching victory.

In an interview for NBA TV, Jokic explained he wanted to get home for a horse race Sunday in his hometown of Sombor, Serbia.

"Yes, I need to go home. On Sundays, I have my horse racing," Jokić said.

He added: "I don't know how I'm going to arrive. Thursday, late. Friday, maybe. I'm going to ask [Nuggets president Josh Kroenke] to give me a plane."

Given the Thursday parade date and the 6,000 miles between Denver and Sombor, it's safe to say Jokić's arrival will be cutting it close to his Sunday race. Given how much the Nuggets star enjoyed celebrating with 500,000 fans, it looks like it might have been worth it.