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Basketball / Teams
FRANCHISE

NBA franchise story

Denver Nuggets

Denver's basketball identity has always favored creativity and altitude-powered offense, from the ABA and Doug Moe's track meets to Nikola Jokić's championship orchestration.

Every era · The defining players · Five essential games

The franchise timeline

Every era of the Denver Nuggets.

Move through the franchise chronologically. The jerseys identify each chapter’s central cast, and every curated card opens the complete story of that era.

Historical reference: Denver Nuggets official team history ↗
The beginning↓
01▼

Franchise era

1967–68—1975–76

01
DENTHOMPSON33David Thompson
DENISSEL44Dan Issel
DENJONES24Bobby Jones

From Rockets to Nuggets and a final Finals run

The ABA years

Denver embraced a new Nuggets identity and entered the NBA after reaching the ABA Finals with a spectacular young core.

Read the era story →

Chapter 01

1967–68—1975–76

02▼

Franchise era

1976–77—1989–90

02
DENENGLISH2Alex English
DENLEVER12Fat Lever
DENVANDEWEGHE55Kiki VanDeWeghe

Alex English and basketball at full speed

Doug Moe's motion machine

English led a free-flowing offense that made nine straight playoffs and reached the 1985 conference finals.

Read the era story →

Chapter 02

1976–77—1989–90

03▼

Franchise era

1990–91—2002–03

03
DENMUTOMBO55Dikembe Mutombo
DENABDUL-RAUF3Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
DENMCDYESS24Antonio McDyess

A historic eighth seed, then a long search

The Mutombo upset and the rebuild

Denver authored the first 8-over-1 upset in 1994, but injuries and turnover prevented the young roster from sustaining it.

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Chapter 03

1990–91—2002–03

04▼

Franchise era

2003–04—2010–11

04
DENANTHONY15Carmelo Anthony
DENBILLUPS1Chauncey Billups
DENCAMBY23Marcus Camby

Scoring, swagger and a conference-finals run

Melo restores relevance

Anthony ended an eight-year playoff drought immediately, and Billups later helped turn the group into a 2009 conference finalist.

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Chapter 04

2003–04—2010–11

05▼

Franchise era

2011–12—2014–15

05
DENLAWSON3Ty Lawson
DENGALLINARI8Danilo Gallinari
DENIGUODALA9Andre Iguodala

Depth before the next centerpiece

Basketball after Melo

A deep 57-win team briefly suggested a collective future before injuries forced another reset.

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Chapter 05

2011–12—2014–15

06

Franchise era

2015–16—present

06
DENJOKIĆ15Nikola Jokić
DENMURRAY27Jamal Murray
DENGORDON50Aaron Gordon

The center as an entire offense

The Jokić revolution

Jokić developed from a second-round curiosity into a multi-time MVP whose passing and efficiency powered Denver's first championship in 2023.

Read the era story →

Chapter 06

2015–16—present

◆Present day

The essential watchlist

Five Denver Nuggets games to start with.

Curated from the franchise’s defining eras, championship stakes and the games that still carry its story.

#01 · First Round

First Round
2020
GAME7
DENVERNUGGETS
UTAHJAZZ
SEP 1, 2020

Nuggets vs Jazz

Sep 1, 2020

#02 · Conference Semifinals

Conference Semifinals
2023
GAME4
DENVERNUGGETS
PHOENIXSUNS
MAY 7, 2023

Nuggets vs Suns

May 7, 2023

#03 · Conference Semifinals

Conference Semifinals
2024
GAME7
MINNESOTATIMBERWOLVES
DENVERNUGGETS
MAY 19, 2024

Timberwolves vs Nuggets

May 19, 2024

#04 · Regular Season

Regular Season
2022
PHOENIXSUNS
DENVERNUGGETS
DEC 25, 2022

Suns vs Nuggets

Dec 25, 2022

#05 · Regular Season

Regular Season
2022
DENVERNUGGETS
PHILADELPHIA76ERS
JAN 28, 2023

Nuggets vs 76ers

Jan 28, 2023

Season history

Past seasons

50 seasons · newest first

Game archive

Denver Nuggets games

4,295 total · loaded 10 at a time