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The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference. Based in Denver, Colorado, they play their home games at Ball Arena (formerly known as Pepsi Center)
The Denver Nuggets achieved their first NBA championship in 2023, defeating the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. Led by Nikola Jokić, who claimed both NBA Finals MVP and Conference Finals MVP honors that year, the team finally broke through after decades of competitive basketball.
Major Achievements
- First NBA Championship (2023)
- Conference Championship (2023)
- 12 Division Championships (1970, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1985, 1988, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2019, 2020, 2023)
- Reached NBA Finals as last of four surviving former ABA teams
- Second former ABA team to win NBA title (after San Antonio Spurs)
Retired Numbers
- #2 – Alex English: Considered by many as the greatest Nugget ever, averaging 25.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists across 11 seasons
- #12 – Fat Lever: Two-time NBA All-Star who averaged 18.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 7.9 assists in his best season
- #33 – David Thompson: First overall pick in both ABA and NBA Drafts (1975), won Rookie of the Year and finished second in MVP voting
- #40 – Byron Beck: Spent full 10-year career in Denver, averaging 12.9 points and 9.0 rebounds in first six seasons
- #44 – Dan Issel: One of the league’s premier scorers during his era, averaging 20.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists
- #55 – Dikembe Mutombo: Won Defensive Player of the Year in 1994, led league in blocks three times with Denver
- #432 – Doug Moe: Franchise’s winningest coach
Hall of Fame Members
- Alex English (Class of 1997)
- David Thompson (Class of 1996)
- Dan Issel (Class of 1993)
- Dikembe Mutombo (Class of 2015)
Notable Individual Awards
- NBA Finals MVP: Nikola Jokić (2023)
- Conference Finals MVP: Nikola Jokić (2021, 2022, 2024)
- Defensive Player of the Year: Dikembe Mutombo (1995), Marcus Camby (2007)
- Most Improved Player: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (1993)
- Coach of the Year: Doug Moe (1988), George Karl (2013)
- Executive of the Year: Vince Boryla (1985), Mark Warkentien (2009), Masai Ujiri (2013)
Franchise Records
- Points Scored: Alex English leads franchise history
- Games Played: Alex English holds record
- Minutes Played: Alex English (29,893)
- Rebounds: Nikola Jokic (7,844)
- Assists: Nikola Jokic (5,151)
- Blocks: Dikembe Mutombo (1,486)
- Three-pointers Made: Jamal Murray (1,085)