Move over Molly Brown, John Denver and John Elway. It is time to make room for our newest Colorado celebrities: the 2023 Denver Nuggets professional basketball team.

Two superstars with key role players just proved they are the best basketball team in North America and probably in the world.

Who are these champions who have lifted our spirits and given us a season of excitement and jubilation?

The Joker. Nikola Jokic, is 28 years old, 6 feet, 11 inches tall, and comes from Sombor, Serbia. He is playing in his eighth season for the Nuggets and is regularly breaking records for scoring, rebounds and assists. He played briefly for a Serbian team in the Adriatic League and came to Denver when he was 20.

Jokic is not known for his jumping or flashy slam dunks. But everyone involved in basketball marvels at his remarkable passing skills, his playmaking talent, and his high-percentage shooting from everywhere on the court, and his visionary play, a center with the skills of a point guard.

He is viewed as an uncommonly selfless player who can, when he needs to, take over a game and score needed points, even when double-teamed.

He is a “dream player,” says legendary former NBA player Bill Walton. “He is just so smooth, so graceful, so skilled, so talented, and so brilliant in his ability to see the play before it happens.”

Some have likened him to an outsized ballet dancer as he navigates around the basketball floor. Others call his pirouettes “the Sombor Shuffle.”

Jokic is being called the best player in professional basketball, yet he is probably only halfway through his career. He has become a Colorado fan favorite for his humility, his low-key sense of humor, and for his focus on getting the job done.

Jokic kept breaking or setting records all season. His latest is that in the recent playoff series, he was the leading scorer, leading rebounder and leader in assists. No player has ever done that.

The Blue Arrow. The Joker’s co-star is Jamal Murray, 26, and he hails from a small town in Ontario. He played one year of basketball at the University of Kentucky.

He enjoys the nickname of “the Blue Arrow,” which attests to his sharpshooting talent. Murray has an uncanny ability to hit jump shots from anywhere on the court. He is consistently Denver’s No. 2 scorer.

Murray is also the point-guard captain of Denver’s offense. He and The Joker have perfected a pick-and-roll routine near the top of the 3-point arc. They have an uncanny ability to communicate with split-second timing and to predict each other’s moves. This is teamwork at the highest level and is astonishing to watch.

Few teams have figured out a way to interrupt this Murray-Jokic basketball dance. It was wonderfully on display in Game 3 of the Finals against Miami.

The Murray story is also about his being Denver’s “comeback kid.” About two years ago, he tore his left ACL and had to miss more than a year of playing. He had major surgery and an extended year of rehabilitation. He took up rigorous meditation and martial arts. He came back as an even more effective shooting star.

If The Joker is the super-most valuable player, Murray is the energizing catalyst who invariably helps make good things happen for his entire team.

A.G. Aaron Gordon, 27, is from San Jose, Calif. He is a 6-foot, 9-inch power forward who is the brawny “blue collar” defense specialist, usually assigned to defend against an opposing team’s best shooter.

Gordon played one year of basketball at the University of Arizona before being drafted by the Orlando Magic. The Denver Nuggets acquired him in 2021.

He is widely admired by his teammates and is a locker-room favorite. He takes on tough defense assignments. He is further admired for his ability to defend against All Star shooters. His coach and teammates call him the “unsung hero” of the team.

Gordon also is valued for his frequent dunk shots, usually set up by pinpoint passes from Jokic or Murray. He was the surprise scoring hero in Game 4 against Miami. He scored an impressive 27 points, including 3-point shots.

Gordon is active on social media. He has more of a California style to him than his teammates.

KCP. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, age 30, was born in Georgia and played basketball at the University of Georgia. He is probably the least known of the Nuggets regulars, yet he helped win a league championship for the Los Angeles Lakers before he came to play for Denver.

KCP is a defensive specialist who helps steal balls and blocks shots, He is in his ninth year in the NBA. He joined the Nuggets this past year.

Porter Jr. Michael Porter Jr. is one of the Nuggets’ youngest players and came from the University of Missouri. He has one of the most beautiful, long-distance jump shots in basketball. When he gets hot, he can shoot a half-dozen of them and light up the arena.

Porter has been plagued by back problems, which kept him out of play last year. And he was not especially sharp during the Nuggets’ recent playoffs. Still, he remains one of Denver’s promising young stars.

Sixth Man Hero. Bruce Brown was born in Boston and raised in the Boston suburbs. He is 26 years old, 6 feet, 4 inches tall, and a shooting guard. He played college ball at the University of Miami and played two years each for the Detroit Pistons and the Brooklyn Nets.

Coming to Denver for this season, he has proved an invaluable and highly reliable “first-off-the-bench” player. He had several spectacular playoff games in this postseason. He has several great shots, from all around the floor, and he is a fearless “drive-to-the-basket” penetrator.

The Rookie. Christian Braun, 22, is from Overland Park, Kan. Braun came off the bench in several games and was a reliable defensive specialist playing at the forward position. He adds great competitive spirit to the Nuggets. He put on a dazzling rookie cameo show in Game 3 against Miami. He scored 15 points in 19 minutes and added some rebounds and assists.

What is noteworthy about this likely future star is that he has been on championship teams for five of the past seven years. He helped lead his high school team to three statewide championships. He played for the University of Kansas Jayhawks when they won the NCAA national championship in 2022. This year, remarkably, he joined in and contributed as the Nuggets won the NBA title.

That’s a pretty good start for a 22-year-old.

Coach Mike Malone. Malone is a no-nonsense, demanding basketball lifer. He played prep school and college basketball back east and then followed his father’s big footsteps by going into coaching.

He coached at Providence College for some years and soon migrated to assistant coaching positions at a variety of NBA teams, including Golden State, New Orleans, Cleveland and New York.

He got his big break when he became head coach of the Sacramento Kings. That did not last long. He was fired in 2015 but hired by the Nuggets later that year.

Malone has had a great record in Denver and is widely respected by players and analysts as one of the best coaches in basketball. This year, his team was consistently among the best teams in the NBA.

Malone and most of his key players who are still young will be back next year. Malone is already saying one championship is not enough.

The earnest Jokic ended the season and the championship game with a typically low-key observation: “We have done the job. And now, we can go home.”

Hooray for the Ball Arena NBA champs!