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Nikola Jokic’s NBA Finals MVP trophy, which was reported to be missing, couldn’t have been any safer. Sparky Gonzales, the Denver Nuggets’ long-time equipment manager, had it all along in preparation for the Nuggets’ championship parade with fans.
Malika Andrews, the reporter Jokic stunned with the news of the missing trophy, had this to say about the whereabouts of the said hardware:
“Rest assured, the Nuggets’ longtime equipment guru Sparky Gonzales has the trophy cleaned and detailed and it’s ready for Thursday’s parade.”
Amid the euphoria of the wild celebration on the court and in the locker room, Denver’s equipment manager just wanted to secure the Jokic’s trophy. The two-time MVP, who isn’t known to cherish individual accomplishments, could have misplaced that important award.
Fortunately, Sparky Gonzales got his back. The Mexican-American has held his job since 1987. This is the first time the Nuggets have won the championship trophy while Nikola Jokic is the team’s first NBA Finals MVP. Gonzales wanted to make sure things were ready for the public celebration with fans on Thursday.
Jokic previously intimated that he didn’t want to join the parade and only wanted time to spend with his family. As the franchise superstar, however, he will likely have to show up and be with fans. He is expected to be holding the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Trophy at some point during the parade.
Nikola Jokic and Sparky Gonzales have come a long way
After nearly 40 years of working for the Denver Nuggets, Sparky Gonzales has already become an icon in the organization. He goes out of his way to take care of the players’ luggage and form relationships with them.
Nikola Jokic and Gonzales hit it off right away in the Serbian’s rookie year. Marc J. Spears of Andscape had this to report about how their friendship became known:
“‘Joker and I used to play ping pong back when he was a rookie,’ Gonzales said. ‘His pregame ritual was we’d play ping pong every day before a game. And to this day, he always keeps telling me he beat me. I beat him maybe three or four times.
‘I had to let him win because I beat him one time and he had a really bad game. (Then-Nuggets general manager) Arturas [Karnisovas] said, ‘Well, you got to let him win on game days.’ ‘Well, we only play on game days.’”
Eight years after building a relationship behind ping-pong games, Nikola Jokic complimented Sparky Gonzales after the Denver Nuggets won the West. The “Joker” thanked his parents and surprised many when he mentioned Gonzales even before the team’s owner Stan Kroenke.
Jokic apparently has to thank Gonzales for taking good care of the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Trophy as well.
