Funny moments from NBA Championship parades

The NBA season is one of the longest in professional sports, spanning from October through the conclusion of the Finals, which take place in mid-June. The Denver Nuggets won the 2023 NBA title, and will celebrate with their fans during the customary parade. We’ll take a look at some of the more hilarious moments in NBA championship parade history.

Jordan’s resume during the NBA Finals is unimpeachable, winning six championships in six appearances. However, Kerr made a jovial quip during the 1997 Chicago Bulls championship parade. He said that the game-winning shot he made to seal the title was designed for him because Jordan was too afraid of the moment. The crowd got a kick out of that joke.

The Boston Celtics had a memorable run to the 2008 championship, led by stars Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. A role player stole the show during the parade though, as Glen “Big Baby” Davis certainly enjoyed his time celebrating in Beantown. The large forward was seeing on floats without a shirt for much of the day.

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson has never needed a formal event to showcase his endearing personality, but it’s been on full display whenever the team has won titles throughout the last decade. He’s a noted boat enthusiast, and has rocked his maritime captain hat during these celebrations.

He only spent one season with the Toronto Raptors, but Kawhi Leonard certainly made the most of it. He led the franchise to a championship in 2019, and had a couple of viral moments along the way. He proclaimed that he was a fun guy before that season, and proceeded to laugh in a historically-cringey way. Leonard mocked his own laugh during the parade, to the delight of the crowd.

As mentioned earlier, NBA players have to stay locked in for a long time if they want to reach their ultimate goal of winning a title. The parade serves as a time to relax that level of discipline, something which Milwaukee Bucks forward P.J. Tucker certainly did during the team’s 2021 parade. He went all in chugging a bottle of champagne, most of which ended up on his shirt.

The weather is usually pretty great once June rolls around in most of the United States, but that can be said all year round in Miami. When the Heat won their championships during the LeBron James/Dwyane Wade/Chris Bosh era, it wasn’t uncommon to see players and fans shooting each other with water guns.

The Los Angeles Lakers were a force to be reckoned with in the early 2000’s, winning three consecutive titles from 2000-2002. Their championship parades seemed like an annual tradition during that stretch, and all of their players enjoyed the ride. Reserve big man Mark Madsen was certainly chief among them, as he broke out some memorably enthusiastic dance moves.

The Warriors are the gift that keeps on giving, and Draymond Green had his own memorable moment during an interview during a title parade. After likely having a few adult beverages, he memorable proclaimed that Golden State was there to celebrate, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, whom they defeated in the NBA Finals, were not.