See a championship banner raised. Witness the coolest NBA championship rings ever. Beat the Lakers for a sixth straight time. Yeah, Denver Nuggets fans had a pretty good Tuesday night to say the least.
https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1716997564900184378
Talk about being in your bag as a collective merry tribe. How about seeing the Lake Show off back to Los Angeles with a condescending chant of, “WHO’S YOUR DADDY!?”
“Who’s your daddy?” chant in Denver. pic.twitter.com/gRqwvRC81i
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 25, 2023
Nuggets fans were chanting "Who's your daddy?" to the Lakers 😳 pic.twitter.com/69ekrzkyvY
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 25, 2023
I mean shoot, go off! You’re the champs after all. YO though. Check out the elder statesmen Denverites in the stands telling LeBron James to remove his crown. The King is no more!
I agree, LeBron. You’re in Year 21 of your NBA career. You deserve to be cut more slack but countless droves of morons will insist you’re overrated/not the GOAT and so on. No need to rehash that here.
From what I gather across the social media platform known as X, the “daddy” thing stems from this moment at the Nugs’ championship parade:
"He came into this world as the son of a coach, but in these playoffs, he became the Lakers' daddy!"
Vic Lombardi on Michael Malone 😳pic.twitter.com/N4C0L1GMP5
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) June 15, 2023
The very first pop culture reference that sprung to mind when it came to these cocky Nuggets fans and their, “Who’s your daddy!?” refrain is this:
Naturally, a sports movie. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. And it’s even more apropos here, because the Lakers were, in fact, underdogs on Tuesday. They’re underdogs whenever they take the court against Denver regardless of venue. They were swept in the Western Conference Finals. Nikola Jokic — LeBron, no longer — is the best player in the sport, and he plays in Denver.
As much as I liked several of the key moves the Lakers made this summer to bolster their roster, this Nuggets squad is so stacked.
Back like they never left 🔥
Jok: 29 PTS / 13 REB / 11 AST
Mal: 21 PTS / 2 REB / 6 AST
MPJ: 12 PTS / 2 REB / 2 STL
KCP: 20 PTS / 2 REB / 3 STL
AG: 15 PTS / 7 REB / 5 AST pic.twitter.com/l18VVCFubo— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) October 25, 2023
What a wild card the Western Conference is entering this season. The Lakers should build on the momentum of yesteryear and be among the top seeds. Memphis is a total wild card thanks in part to Ja Morant’s 25-game suspension. The Mavs’ Kyrie-Luka experiment could flourish — or combust. Steph, Klay, Dray and the Warriors are still lurking. How about Phoenix’s dream-like offensive trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal?
Futhermore, if Zion Williamson stays healthy for the Pelicans, they could make some serious noise. Also, better get this take in before they start: Do not sleep on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Look out. Their hoarding of draft picks and years-long rebuild is about to pay off. Chet Holmgren breakout SZN incoming.
Amid all those compelling scenarios, though, the Denver Nuggets are the clear-cut favorite in the West. They’re a cut (or several) above everyone else until proven otherwise — and showed as much by beating the Lakers soundly.
And yes, for a sixth straight meeting, the Nuggets were the Lakers’ daddies.
