Thomas Mitchell
Audio By Carbonatix
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Isn’t he beautiful?
Given how great Nikola Jokic has been in his eight seasons with the Denver Nuggets, the lack of local shrines to the Joker never added up. Nearly 600 fans were so upset about the oversight that last year they petitioned the City of Denver and Governor Jared Polis, asking for a mural.
But there’s no longer a need to protest, because Jokic’s face popped up on a commercial garage dock door at 2420 Curtis Street earlier this month, courtesy of Thomas “Detour” Evans.
The Denver artist is known for murals of iconic Black leaders, such as John Lewis (40th and Franklin streets) and Charles Burrell, India Arie, Madame CJ Walker and John Mosley (27th and Welton streets), with the majority of his work in north Denver. Taking advantage of a warm morning last weekend, Detour gifted the city with a surprise mural of Jokic, complete with Detour’s signature sherbet background.
Detour somehow captures the focus and no-fucks-given on Jokic’s face simultaneously, which is exactly the way the pale god of hoops plays. Add in beard stubble and a widow’s peak, and we’ve got one incredible mural goin’.
If you go to see the new Jokic mural, check out the rest of Detour’s work around Five Points and north Denver, which honors local legends and national civil rights activists who’ve all made their marks on the city.
