Denver Nuggets

This article is about the current NBA team. For the original Denver Nuggets NBL/NBA team from 1948 to 1950, see Denver Nuggets (1948–1950).

Denver Nuggets
2024–25 Denver Nuggets season
Denver Nuggets logo
ConferenceWestern
DivisionNorthwest
Founded1967
HistoryDenver Rockets
1967–1974 (ABA)
Denver Nuggets
1974–1976 (ABA)
1976–present (NBA)[1][2][3]
ArenaBall Arena[4]
LocationDenver, Colorado
Team colorsMidnight blue, sunshine yellow, Flatirons red, skyline blue[5][6][7]
       
Main sponsorIbotta[8]
CEOJosh Kroenke
PresidentJosh Kroenke[9]
General managerCalvin Booth[10]
Head coachMichael Malone
OwnershipKroenke Sports & Entertainment (Stan Kroenke, Owner/Governor)[11][12]
Affiliation(s)Grand Rapids Gold[13][14]
Championships1 (2023)
Conference titles1 (2023)
Division titles12
ABA: 2 (1970, 1975)
NBA: 10 (1977, 1978, 1985, 1988, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2019, 2020, 2023)
Retired numbers6 (2, 12, 33, 40, 44, 55, 432)
Websitewww.nba.com/nuggets
Association jersey
Team colours
Association
Icon jersey
Team colours
Icon
Statement jersey
Team colours
Statement

The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. The team was founded as the Denver Larks in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association (ABA) but changed their name to the Rockets before the first season.[15] The Rockets then changed their name again to the Nuggets in 1974.[16] After the name change, the Nuggets played for the final ABA Championship title in 1976, losing to the New York Nets.

The team has had some periods of success, qualifying for the ABA playoffs in every season of the ABA's existence (except 1971 and 1974), losing in the 1976 ABA Finals to the New York Nets.[17] The team joined the NBA in 1976 after the ABA–NBA merger and qualified for the NBA playoffs in nine consecutive seasons in the 1980s and ten consecutive seasons from 2004 to 2013.[17] In 2023, the Nuggets, led by Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, reached their first NBA Finals and defeated the Miami Heat to capture the franchise's first NBA championship. The Nuggets were the last of the four surviving former ABA teams to reach the NBA Finals, and the second former ABA team to win an NBA title (after the San Antonio Spurs).[17][18] The Nuggets play their home games at Ball Arena,[4] which they share with the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League (NLL).

  1. ^ "Nuggets Unveil 50th Anniversary Logo in Celebration of Franchise's 50th Year". Nuggets.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. June 14, 2017. Retrieved May 14, 2024. The date June 14, 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the franchise's creation. In 1967, the Ringsby family was able to post a performance bond payout to take over ownership of the then American Basketball Association team cementing a basketball franchise in Denver.
  2. ^ "Franchise History–NBA Advanced Stats". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  3. ^ "NBA.com/Stats–Denver Nuggets seasons". Stats.NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Denver Nuggets will now play in Ball Arena as part of KSE, Ball Corporation Global Partnership". Nuggets.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. October 22, 2020. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  5. ^ "Denver Nuggets Reveal Evolved Brand Identity". Nuggets.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. June 6, 2018. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  6. ^ "Denver Nuggets unveil new look". NBA.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures, LLC. June 6, 2018. Archived from the original on August 2, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  7. ^ "Denver Nuggets Reproduction and Usage Guideline Sheet". NBA Properties, Inc. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  8. ^ "Ibotta Celebrates Commitment to Denver by Becoming the Official Jersey Patch Sponsor of the 2023 NBA Champion Denver Nuggets". Nuggets.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures, LLC. October 24, 2023. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  9. ^ "Josh Kroenke–Nuggets Executives" (PDF). 2021–22 Denver Nuggets Media Guide. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  10. ^ Labidou, Alex (April 13, 2020). "Artūras Karnišovas leaves Nuggets GM post, joins Bulls as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations". Nuggets.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  11. ^ "Staff Directory". Nuggets.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  12. ^ "Denver Nuggets Team Info and News". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  13. ^ "Grand Rapids Drive to serve as Nuggets' affiliate starting in 2021–22". NBA.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures, LLC. April 27, 2021. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  14. ^ "Grand Rapids Drive Announce New Name And Logo". GLeague.NBA.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures, LLC. July 7, 2021. Archived from the original on July 7, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  15. ^ "December to Remember". Nuggets.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. December 3, 2014. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  16. ^ "Behind The Name – Nuggets". Nuggets.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. August 31, 2006. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  17. ^ a b c "Denver Nuggets Franchise Index". Basketball Reference. Archived from the original on February 24, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  18. ^ "2009 NBA Playoffs – Conference finals – Nuggets vs. Lakers – ESPN". ESPN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019. The Nuggets are the only active former ABA franchise never to win a title in the ABA or NBA.