The Denver Nuggets were once the Rockets, and their history is a wild ride.

Countries & Cities · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Before they were NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets navigated decades of ownership instability, bizarre name changes, and a legendary scoring philosophy. From their origins as a struggling ABA franchise to their historic 2023 title, the team has survived near-collapse and some of the most lopsided trades in professional sports history.

The franchise began in 1967 as the Denver Larks, a charter member of the American Basketball Association. Ownership quickly shifted to trucking magnate Bill Ringsby, who rebranded the team as the Rockets. By 1974, anticipating a move to the NBA, the team held a contest to choose a new identity, settling on Nuggets to honor a short-lived professional team from the late 1940s. This transition was finalized in August 1974, just before the team joined the NBA in 1976.

The team's identity was defined by radical shifts in coaching and personnel. In the 1980s, coach Doug Moe implemented a high-octane motion offense that prioritized scoring over defense, leading to record-breaking offensive outputs. Yet, this era was also marked by defensive struggles that earned them the mocking nickname Enver Nuggets. Later, in 1994, the team achieved a major milestone by becoming the first eighth-seeded squad to eliminate a top-seeded opponent in the NBA playoffs, defeating the Seattle SuperSonics in a dramatic five-game series.

Ownership instability nearly derailed the franchise in the late 1990s. Following a period of corporate turmoil involving COMSAT and failed sales to local investors, the team was eventually purchased by Stan Kroenke in 2000. This stability paved the way for the Carmelo Anthony era and eventually the team's first NBA championship in 2023, led by Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray. The victory cemented their legacy as the second former ABA team to capture an NBA title, following the San Antonio Spurs.

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