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. The Rockets then changed their name again to the Nuggets in 1974. After the name change, the Nuggets played for the final ABA Championship title in 1976, losing to the New York Nets.
Chauncey Ray Billups is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Billups spent the majority of his 17-year basketball career playing for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004 after helping the Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, and was given the nickname "Mr. Big Shot" for making late-game shots with Detroit. The Pistons retired his No. 1 jersey in 2016. After playing college basketball with the Colorado Buffaloes, he was selected third overall in the 1997 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. A five-time NBA All-Star, a three-time All-NBA selection and two-time NBA All-Defensive selection, Billups also played for the Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Clippers during his NBA career.
Jameer Lamar Nelson Sr. is an American former professional basketball player who serves as general manager for the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Saint Joseph's Hawks, where he was named national college player of the year in 2004. Drafted 20th overall in the 2004 NBA draft, Nelson spent the first ten years of his NBA career with the Orlando Magic. In 2009, he was named an All-Star and made an appearance in the NBA Finals with the Magic. He has also played for the Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans and Detroit Pistons.
The 1970 NBA draft was the 24th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on March 23, 1970, before the 1970–71 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was eligible for selection. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his college class graduated. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each division, with the order determined by a coin flip. The Detroit Pistons won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the San Diego Rockets were awarded the second pick. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. Three expansion franchises, the Buffalo Braves, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers, took part in the NBA Draft for the first time and were assigned the seventh, the eighth and the ninth pick in each round. In the first round, the Cavaliers had the seventh pick, while the Blazers and the Braves had the eighth and the ninth pick respectively. In the subsequent rounds, the Cavaliers and the Braves exchanged their order of selection, while the Blazers had the eighth pick throughout the draft. The draft consisted of 19 rounds comprising the selection of 239 players; it holds the record for the most prospects selected in any NBA draft.
The 1981 NBA draft was the 35th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1981, before the 1981–82 season. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the USA Network. In this draft, 23 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each conference, with the order determined by a coin flip. The Dallas Mavericks won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Detroit Pistons were awarded the second pick. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was automatically eligible for selection. Before the draft, five college underclassmen announced that they would leave college early and would be eligible for selection. The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising the selection of 223 players.
The 1980 NBA draft was the 34th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 10, 1980, at the Sheraton Centre Hotel & Towers, before the 1980–81 season. In this draft, 23 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each conference, with the order determined by a coin flip. The Boston Celtics, who obtained the Detroit Pistons' first-round pick in a trade, won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Utah Jazz were awarded the second pick. The Celtics then traded the first pick to the Golden State Warriors before the draft. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. An expansion franchise, the Dallas Mavericks, took part in the NBA Draft for the first time and were assigned the eleventh pick in each round. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was automatically eligible for selection. Before the draft, five college underclassmen announced that they would leave college early and would be eligible for selection. The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising the selection of 214 players. This draft has the distinction of being the first NBA Draft to be televised.
Kenneth Lavon "Chucky" Atkins is an American former professional basketball player who played for nine different NBA teams throughout his career.
Micheal Douglas Williams is an American former professional basketball player turned businessman who played the point guard position in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He holds the NBA record for most consecutive free throws made, with 97. Micheal Williams also founded Dallas based 3i Contracting, which has participated, built and/or developed over $1 billion worth of real estate throughout the state of Texas.
David Murphy-Kasim Greenwood is an American retired professional basketball player whose National Basketball Association (NBA) career spanned 12 years from 1979 to 1991. Greenwood made his NBA debut on October 13, 1979 and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team during the 1979–80 season. A forward/center, he played for the Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons.
Rodney Charles White is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, White played college basketball at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he was named the national freshman of the Year by ESPN, and he was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the ninth overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft.
Samb Cheikh Tidiane is a Senegalese former professional basketball player. He played at the center position.
Darwin Louis Cook is an American basketball coach and former player.
Danilo Gallinari is an Italian professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After spending his first four years as a professional in his native Italy, Gallinari was drafted sixth overall in the 2008 NBA draft by the New York Knicks. He played with the Knicks for two and a half seasons before being traded to the Denver Nuggets in 2011. He has also played for the Los Angeles Clippers, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Atlanta Hawks.
The 2007–08 Philadelphia 76ers season was the 69th season of the franchise, 59th in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Sixers finished the regular season at 40-42. In the first round of the playoffs, they lost to the Detroit Pistons in six games.
The 1992–93 NBA season was the Nuggets' 17th season in the National Basketball Association and 26th season as a franchise. In the 1992 NBA draft, the Nuggets selected LaPhonso Ellis out of Notre Dame University with the fifth overall pick, and selected Bryant Stith from the University of Virginia with the thirteenth overall pick. During the off-season, the team acquired second-year guard Robert Pack from the Portland Trail Blazers, and brought back Dan Issel as their new head coach; Issel starred for the Nuggets for ten seasons as a player. Under Issel, the Nuggets got off to a 7–7 start, but then suffered a 14-game losing streak from December 5, 1992 to January 5, 1993. At midseason, the team signed free agent Tom Hammonds, who was previously released by the Charlotte Hornets. Despite the losing streak, the Nuggets showed significant improvement holding a 20–30 record at the All-Star break, and missed the playoffs by three games with a record of 36–46, fourth in the Midwest Division.
The 2009–10 Denver Nuggets season was the 43rd season of the franchise, its 34th in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After their trip the conference finals last season, the Nuggets started the season 35-18 before the All-Star break. Carmelo Anthony was selected to the 2010 NBA All-Star Game with George Karl coaching the Western Conference. Karl was diagnosed with neck and throat cancer, ending his season. Adrian Dantley took over and the team struggled in the second half of the season, finishing with a 53-29 record and earned the number 4 seed in the West. Denver's season ended in the first round with a defeat to the Utah Jazz in six games. The Nuggets had the third best team offensive rating in the NBA.
Chukwudiebere "Chu" Maduabum, sometimes credited as "Chuk", "Chuck", or "Chu Chu", is a Nigerian professional basketball player for the Tokyo United Basketball Club of the B.League. He was drafted 56th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2011 NBA draft before his rights were traded to the Denver Nuggets.
Houston Jerami Grant is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange and was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 2014 NBA draft. Grant has also played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, and Detroit Pistons. He won a gold medal with the 2020 U.S. Olympic team.
Bruce Brown Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Miami Hurricanes and was selected 42nd overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2018 NBA draft. He has also played for the Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, and Indiana Pacers. In 2023, he was a key member of the Nuggets' championship team. Despite being undersized, Brown plays the small forward and both guard positions.
Tyler Cook is an American professional basketball player for Joventut Badalona of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroCup. He played college basketball for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
