Denver Nuggets
Status: Active
Sport: Basketball
City: Denver
Venues: Denver Auditorium Arena (1974-75)
McNichols Sports Arena (1975-76 to 1998-99)
Ball Arena (1999-00 to Present)
Seasons: 1974-75 to Present
Leagues: American Basketball Association (1974-75 to 1975-76)
National Basketball Association (1976-77 to Present)
Owners: Frank Golberg & Bud Fischer (1974-75 to 1976-77)
Carl Scheer (1977-78 to 1978-79)
B. J. "Red" McCombs (1979-80 to 1984-85)
Sidney L. Shlenker (1985-86 to 1989-90)
Comsat Video Enterprises, Peter Bynoe, and Bertram Lee (1990-91 to 1992-93)
Comsat Video Enterprises (1993-94 to 1994-95)
Ascent Entertainment Group (1995-96 to 1996-97)
AT&T Liberty Media (1997-98 to 1999-00)
Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (2000-01 to Present)
Head Coaches: Larry Brown (1974-75 to 1978-79)
Donnie Walsh (1978-79 to 1980-81)
Doug Moe (1980-81 to 1989-90)
Paul Westhead (1990-91 to 1991-92)
Dan Issel (1992-93 to 1994-95; 1999-00 to 2001-02)
Gene Littles (1994-95)
Bernie Bickerstaff (1994-95 to 1996-97)
Dick Motta (1996-97)
Bill Hanzlik (1997-98)
Mike D'Antoni (1998-99)
Mike Evans (2001-02)
Jeff Bzdelik (2002-03 to 2004-05)
Michael Cooper (2004-05)
George Carl (2004-05 to 2012-13)
Brian Shaw (2013-14 to 2014-15)
Melvin Hunt (2014-15)
Michael Malone (2015-16 to Present)
A Brief History
The Denver Nuggets were founded as the Denver Larks in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association but changed their name to the Denver Rockets before the first season. The Rockets then changed their name to the Nuggets in 1974. The following season, the Nuggets played for the ABA Championship title in 1976, losing to the New York Nets. This would be the final season of the ABA before they merged with the National Basketball Association.
There was an older, separate Denver Nuggets that also played in the NBA. Prior to the 1948–49 National Basketball League season, the original Denver Nuggets were founded. Following that season, the NBL merged with the Basketball Association of America, with the newly unified circuit named the National Basketball Association to reflect the merger. The original Denver Nuggets played the 1949–50 season as one of the charter NBA teams before folding. This franchise's records and statistics remain separate from this version of the Denver Nuggets.
The current franchise traces its roots to 1967, when one of the American Basketball Association's charter franchises was awarded to a group in Kansas City, Missouri, headed by Southern California businessman James Trindle. However, Trindle was unable to find a suitable arena in the Kansas City area. League commissioner George Mikan suggested moving the team to Denver. After agreeing to name Denver resident and former NBA player Vince Boryla as general manager, Trindle moved his team to Denver as the Denver Larks, named after Colorado's state bird. The Trindle group was severely undercapitalized, leading Mikan to order the Larks to post a $100,000 performance bond or lose the franchise. Hours before the deadline, Trindle sold a two-thirds controlling interest to Denver trucking magnate Bill Ringsby for $350,000. Ringsby then renamed the team the Rockets, after his company's long-haul trucks.
Lonnie Wright of the American Football League's Denver Broncos signed with the Rockets during that first season and became the first player to play professional football and basketball in the same season.
Ringsby sold the team to San Diego businessmen Frank Goldberg and Bud Fischer in 1972. In 1974, in anticipation of moving into the NBA and the new McNichols Arena, the franchise held a contest to choose a new team nickname, since "Rockets" was already in use by the Houston Rockets. The winning choice was "Nuggets", in honor of the original Nuggets team in Denver from 1948 to 1950, the last year as a charter member of the NBA. Their new logo was a miner "discovering" an ABA ball.
The Nuggets and Nets had actually applied to join the NBA in 1975, but were forced to stay in the ABA by a court order.
In 1975–76, playing at their new arena, the Nuggets edged the reigning champion Kentucky Colonels four games to three to make the 1976 ABA finals for the first time, eventually losing to the New York Nets and Julius Erving. They did not get a second chance to win an ABA league championship, as the ABA–NBA merger took place after the 1975–76 season. The Nuggets, Nets, Indiana Pacers, and San Antonio Spurs were merged into the NBA while the Spirits of St. Louis and Kentucky Colonels were disbanded.
Goldberg and Fischer sold the team to a local investment group in 1976 and "Red" McCombs bought the team in 1978. McCombs sold the team to Sidney Shlenker in 1985. Shlenker, in turn, sold the team to COMSAT in 1989.
In July 2000, the Nuggets were bought by real estate entrepreneur Stan Kroenke. As part of the deal, Kroenke placed the team into a trust that would ensure the team will stay in Denver until at least 2025.
In 2023, the Nuggets 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).
Season Won Lost Finish
American Basketball Association
1974-75 65 19 1st in Western; lost in division championship
1975-76 60 24 1st in league; lost in ABA Finals
National Basketball Association
1976-77 50 32 1st in Midwest; lost in conference semifinal
1977-78 48 34 1st in Midwest; lost in conference final
1978-79 47 35 2nd in Midwest; lost in first round of playoffs
1979-80 30 52 4th in Midwest
1980-81 37 45 4th in Midwest
1981-82 46 36 2nd in Midwest; lost in first round of playoffs
1982-83 45 37 2nd in Midwest; lost in conference semifinal
1983-84 38 44 3rd in Midwest; lost in first round of playoffs
1984-85 52 30 1st in Midwest; lost in conference final
1985-86 47 35 2nd in Midwest; lost in conference semifinal
1986-87 37 45 4th in Midwest; lost in first round of playoffs
1987-88 54 28 1st in Midwest; lost in conference semifinal
1988-89 44 38 3rd in Midwest; lost in first round of playoffs
1989-90 43 39 4th in Midwest; lost in first round of playoffs
1990-91 20 62 7th in Midwest
1991-92 24 58 4th in Midwest
1992-93 36 46 4th in Midwest
1993-94 42 40 4th in Midwest; lost in conference semifinal
1994-95 41 41 4th in Midwest; lost in first round of playoffs
1995-96 35 47 4th in Midwest
1996-97 21 61 5th in Midwest
1997-98 11 71 7th in Midwest
1998-99 14 36 6th in Midwest
1999-00 35 47 5th in Midwest
2000-01 40 42 6th in Midwest
2001-02 27 55 6th in Midwest
2002-03 17 65 7th in Midwest
2003-04 43 39 6th in Midwest; lost in first round of playoffs
2004-05 49 33 2nd in Northwest; lost in first round of playoffs
2005-06 44 38 1st in Northwest; lost in first round of playoffs
2006-07 45 37 2nd in Northwest; lost in first round of playoffs
2007-08 50 32 2nd in Northwest; lost in first round of playoffs
2008-09 54 28 1st in Northwest; lost in conference semifinal
2009-10 53 29 1st in Northwest; lost in first round of playoffs
2010-11 50 32 2nd in Northwest; lost in first round of playoffs
2011-12 38 28 2nd in Northwest; lost in first round of playoffs
2012-13 57 25 2nd in Northwest; lost in first round of playoffs
2013-14 36 46 4th in Northwest
2014-15 30 52 4th in Northwest
2015-16 33 49 4th in Northwest
2016-17 40 42 4th in Northwest
2017-18 46 36 5th in Northwest
2018-19 54 28 1st in Northwest; lost in conference semifinal
2019-20 46 27 1st in Northwest; lost in conference final
2020-21 47 25 2nd in Northwest; lost in conference semifinal
2021-22 48 34 2nd in Northwest; lost in first round of playoffs
2022-23 53 29 1st in Northwest; NBA Champions
Denver Nuggets (ABA) logo 1974-75 to 1975-76
Denver Nuggets logo 1976-77 to 1981-82
Denver Nuggets logo 1982-83 to 1993-94
Denver Nuggets logo 1994-95 to 2003-04
Denver Nuggets logo 2004-05 to 2008-09
Denver Nuggets logo 2009-10 to 2018-19
American Basketball Association logo
National Basketball Association logo
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Nathan@ColoradoProTeams.com