Nikola Jokić leads Denver Nuggets party at Hakkasan Nightclub

Maybe it was the lingering euphoria of winning the first NBA championship in the history of the Denver Nuggets. Or the thrill of parading through a crowd of 750,000 in that city on Thursday.

Or maybe it was the vodka, procured from Serbia, that inspired Nikola Jokić to unbutton his shirt and unleash the frivolity at Hakkasan Nightclub on Thursday night.

The Nuggets blew into the club amid great whoop-de-doo, tailed by sparklers, a dragon parade, team flags and esteemed DJ Pauly D (who on this night was DJ Pauly Denver, wearing a Jamal Murray jersey).

We have #groovers! #NikolaJokic with the deft footwork and quick recovery as #Nuggets #NBA championship party hit high gear … #Vegas @reviewjournal pic.twitter.com/tAxzCLVfwk

— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) June 16, 2023

The club delivered Jokic, who is Serbian, a bottle of Stara Sokolova vodka from the home land. And, there and also cake. Not sure if it was eaten but cocktail servers hustled it through the team’s two VIP booths, just to the right of Pauly D’s perch.

The crowd went nuts at the site of the new NBA titlists, who beat the Miami Heat for the first championship ever for the franchise. The Nuggets never won an ABA title, either, in their nine years in that league (they lost to the New Jersey Nets in six games). A nod here to David Thompson, Alex English, Lafayette “Fat” Lever, Carmelo Anthony and Dikembe Mutombo, among the Nuggets greats who never won a ring with the tam.

Among the current-day Nuggets in the club were Murray, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jeff Green. The team dined at Hakkasan restaurant before entering the club at midnight.

Party. #NikolaJokic #NuggetsNation ⁦@HakkasanLV⁩ ⁦@MGMGrand⁩ #NBAChamps #RJNow ⁦@reviewjournal⁩ pic.twitter.com/7W4l6aksE8

— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) June 16, 2023

All that was missing in Thursday’s festival (aside from maybe a visit from ex-Nuggets great Dan Issel) was the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy. No site of it while I was there, and I swept out at 2:30 a.m.

This party had something the Golden Knights’ after-party at Omnia at Caesars Palace on Tuesday did not: A player in a Mark Stone jersey. That was Green, wearing gold, shedding the top as the club heated up.

Actually, several Nuggets went topless as the club’s temperature crept up. The place was shoulder-to-shoulder. Tao Group Hospitality co-CEO Jason Strauss was among those happily sweating it out. The company owns Hakkasan and also Omnia. Those Tao Group clubs hosted the two most recent major sports champions this week.

“Obviously, this is an amazing endorsement, to have world champions celebrate with us,” Strauss said. “They visit us throughout the year, they recognize our hospitality and choose us. Two have two champions visit our clubs in three days is a validation of how we treat our guests.”

The club operators are friendly with Stan Kroenke and the Kroenke Sports & Entertainment company, which owns the Nuggets.

“The Nuggets are NBA champs and can party anywhere — Miami, L.A. New York City. They could go to Cabo and be on a beach,” Strauss said. “But they want to be in Vegas, with us.”

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.