The franchise was originally named the Denver Larks when it was founded in 1967, but the name was quickly changed to the Rockets before their first season.¹⁾

The team began in the American Basketball Association (ABA) before joining the NBA in 1976 during the ABA–NBA merger.²⁾

In 1974, the team was renamed the Nuggets to reflect Colorado’s mining history and to avoid confusion with the Houston Rockets.³⁾

The Nuggets reached the ABA Finals in the league’s final season (1976), but lost to the New York Nets.⁴⁾

David Thompson, known as “Skywalker,” was a Nuggets star in the 1970s and was once considered Michael Jordan’s idol.⁵⁾

The Nuggets once scored 186 points in a single game in 1983 — still one of the highest-scoring games in NBA history (against the Detroit Pistons in triple OT).⁶⁾

Dan Issel is a Nuggets legend, both as a player and a coach. He retired with over 27,000 career points (NBA and ABA combined).⁷⁾

Coach Doug Moe popularized an up-tempo, high-scoring style of play in the 1980s, making Denver an offensive powerhouse.⁸⁾

In 1994, the 8th-seeded Nuggets upset the 1st-seeded Seattle SuperSonics in the playoffs — the first time an 8-seed beat a 1-seed in NBA history.⁹⁾

Dikembe Mutombo holding the ball on the floor and smiling after that upset is one of the most iconic NBA playoff images ever.¹⁰⁾

Drafted 3rd overall in 2003, Carmelo Anthony transformed the franchise and led Denver to the playoffs every year he played there.¹¹⁾

Carmelo Anthony once scored 50 points in a game without attempting a single shot in the paint — a rare feat.¹²⁾

Denver native Chauncey Billups helped lead the Nuggets to the 2009 Western Conference Finals, their first since 1985.¹³⁾

In 2009, the Nuggets came close to making the NBA Finals but lost in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers.¹⁴⁾

The Nuggets selected Nikola Jokić with the 41st pick in the 2014 NBA Draft — during a Taco Bell commercial.¹⁵⁾