Denver Nuggets | ||||
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Conference | Western | |||
Division | Northwest | |||
Founded | 1967 | |||
History | Denver Rockets 1967–1974 (ABA) Denver Nuggets 1974–1976 (ABA) 1976–present (NBA)[1][2][3] | |||
Arena | Ball Arena[4] | |||
Location | Denver, Colorado | |||
Team colors | Midnight blue, sunshine yellow, Flatirons red, skyline blue[5][6][7] | |||
Main sponsor | Ibotta[8] | |||
CEO | Josh Kroenke | |||
President | Josh Kroenke[9] | |||
General manager | Ben Tenzer (interim) | |||
Head coach | David Adelman | |||
Ownership | Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (Stan Kroenke, Owner/Governor)[10][11] | |||
Affiliation(s) | Grand Rapids Gold[12][13] | |||
Championships | 1 (2023) | |||
Conference titles | 1 (2023) | |||
Division titles | 12 ABA: 2 (1970, 1975) NBA: 10 (1977, 1978, 1985, 1988, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2019, 2020, 2023) | |||
Retired numbers | 7 (2, 12, 33, 40, 44, 55, 432) | |||
Website | nba | |||
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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 originally 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 began due to a swift ownership change that came from the owners of the local Ringsby Rocket Truck Lines company.[14] The Rockets then changed their name to the Nuggets on August 7, 1974 as a precautionary measure for their franchise to move from the ABA to the NBA.[15] 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 all but two seasons of the ABA's existence. The team made the 1976 ABA Finals, losing to the New York Nets.[16] 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.[16] 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).[16][17] 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).
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.
This Statement Edition uniform reflects that spirt of evolution, building on the elements of the original Statement Edition uniform with the inclusion of new elements and color palettes. The addition of two "gold strikes" included in the Nuggets logo identity are showcased on the front of the jersey. The uniform number changes from white to sunshine yellow, reflecting the 300 days of sunshine Denver sees annually. Lastly, the addition of flatiron red, Colorado translates to "colored red" in Spanish for trim elements that bring a fresh and new look to this Statement Edition uniform.
The Nuggets are the only active former ABA franchise never to win a title in the ABA or NBA.