Finals-winning coach gets permanent memento of title

The 51-year-old Malone celebrated the Nuggets Finals win by getting a tattoo. After all, you can lose a championship ring, but a tattoo isn't going anywhere without a series of laser treatments.

What did Malone get? It's a full-color depiction of the original Denver Nuggets' mascot, Maxie the Miner, on his left shoulder. The excitable bearded miner normally holds an ABA-style basketball on one hand and a pick axe in the other, but in Malone's ink, the pick has been replaced by the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Malone has not held back from enjoying the championship, especially not at the victory parade Thursday in Denver, where he danced, drank champagne and embraced fans along the route.

He's not the first NBA champion to get a tattoo of the Larry O'Brien trophy, but Malone may be the first coach. We can't really see Phil Jackson or Gregg Popovich getting inked up, though Spurs fans have gotten Coach Pop tattoos before.

Jason Terry of the Dallas Mavericks got a tattoo of the Larry O'Brien in 2010. The catch was, this was before the season where the Mavs won it all, showing an impressive level of confidence in the team's title chances. Even when Babe Ruth called his shot, he didn't have to spend hours in a tattoo artist's chair first. 

Malone now has a permanent reminder of Denver's big win. And he still has another shoulder, where Maxie could hold two trophies next year.