The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team with roots in the old ABA. The franchise began in 1967 as the Denver Rockets and joined the NBA in 1976, when the two leagues merged. It took the Nuggets name to avoid confusion with the Houston Rockets.
Denver's home is Ball Arena, and the city's mile-high altitude is a real factor for visiting teams, who often notice the thinner air in the closing minutes. That has helped make the arena one of the tougher road trips in the league.
The team's history includes strong sides built around players such as David Thompson, Alex English and Dikembe Mutombo, and later Carmelo Anthony. The breakthrough came with Nikola Jokic, a centre whose passing and vision reshaped how the team played and who led Denver to its first championship in 2023. That title ended a long wait and made the Nuggets champions for the first time in their NBA history.
A Nuggets game at Ball Arena has a distinct feel. The crowd is close to the action, the altitude adds a physical edge, and the team's recent success has brought a new level of energy to the building. For visitors to Denver, a game is one of the best ways to see the city's sports culture up close.