Milestone No. 5: The Nuggets win the first NBA title in franchise history
Apr 7, 2025, 6:23 AM | Updated: 8:58 am
The Fan is turning 30! For three decades, the station has been covering Denver sports, serving as a media outlet of record for the biggest events over the past 30 years.
There have been a lot of them. From championships to MVPs, from historic seasons to improbable victories, The Fan has been there for all of them.
What were the best of the best? During a six week span, Denver Sports will chronicle the moments that stood out the most. It’s a countdown from No. 30 to No. 1, in a series called “Mile High Milestones.”
Enjoy the trip down memory lane!
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Nuggets fans were fatalistic for a reason. Throughout the team’s history, everything that could possibly go wrong seemed to happen.
The franchise had some great players over the years. And those stars were a part of some very competitive teams. But something would always prevent them from getting over the hump.
Back in their ABA days, rookie David Thompson led them to the Finals. Even after getting beat by Julius Erving and the Nets, the future looked bright. Drug problems and a fall down the stairs at Studio 54 derailed Skywalker’s career, however.
In the mid-1980s, Doug Moe built some really good teams. In 1985, the Nuggets reached the Western Conference Finals. But injuries to Fat Lever and Calvin Natt had Denver at less than full strength against the Lakers. When Alex English broke his thumb in Game 4. The Nuggets lost in five.
Denver had a chance to knock off Los Angeles again in 2009. Led by Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, George Karl’s squad was a legit threat to Kobe Bryant and company. A botched inbounds pass cost the Nuggets late in Game 1; inexplicably, the same thing happened in Game 3. The Nuggets lost in six, getting as close to the NBA Finals as they ever had.
And finally in the bubble, Denver had another shot to knock off the Lakers. Anthony Davis hit a three-pointer to win Game 2, however, and the Nuggets never recovered. They lost to LeBron James and the eventual champs in five games.
Heartache in the playoffs wasn’t the only reason that the deck seemed stacked against Denver, however. The way the NBA was structured also worked against the Nuggets. Superstars wanted to play for the marquee teams, most of which were in big markets. The Mile High City was an afterthought, a tough place to attract top-flight talent.
Add it all up and the result was “Nugg Life.” Pro basketball was fun in Denver, but it wasn’t a championship-level endeavor.
That all changed in 2023. Well, it actually started to change nine years earlier.
In the 2014 NBA Draft, when ESPN was showing a Taco Bell commercial, the Nuggets used the 41st-overall pick on an unknown center out of Serbia. Nikola Jokic would go on to transform the franchise.
The big man became an All-Star by the 2018-19 season. Two years later, he won the first of his three Most Valuable Player awards. By 2022-23, he was arguably the best player on the planet.
During that season, a year in which Jokic was robbed of a three-straight MVP when voters decided to give one to Joel Embiid, the center averaged 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game.
The Joker led the Nuggets to a 53-29 record, earning the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs. It was the best opportunity the team ever had to make a deep postseason run.
And they didn’t waste the opportunity. From the jump, Denver was on a mission.
The Nuggets ousted the Timberwolves in the first round, winning a hard-fought series in five games. That was followed by victory over the Suns in six, a team that featured Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and Devin Booker.
The setup the matchup that everyone wanted. And also dreaded. Once again, the Lakers stood in the way of Denver advancing to the NBA Finals.
This time around, however, the Nuggets weren’t going to be denied. Jokic was sensational in the series, hitting multiple memorable shots over Davis that had L.A.’s big man shaking his head. And Jamal Murray blossomed into a playoff star, scoring 37 points in both Games 2 and 3 to lead all scorers.
In the end, Denver didn’t just beat Los Angeles; they swept them. Two wins in the Mile High City, followed by back-to-back victories in Tinseltown, had the Nuggets venturing into uncharted waters.
In the Finals, Denver would face the upstart Heat. Miami was the No. 8 seed in the East, but Jimmy Butler had led them on an improbable run. After they stole Game 2 at Ball Arena, the Nuggets only home loss throughout the playoffs, it looked like their magic might continue.
The Nuggets regained control of the series with a dominant 109-94 win in Game 3 at Miami. On that night, Jokic and Murray became the first teammates in NBA history to record 30-point triple-doubles.
In the next game, Aaron Gordon was the star. Denver’s power forward led all scorers with 27 points to give the Nuggets a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.
That set up the most-memorable night in franchise history. On June 12, 2023, behind 28 points and 16 rebounds from Jokic, Denver won Game 5 by a 94-89 count. The win gave them the series, bringing the first-ever NBA championship to the Mile High City.
It was a moment that long-time fans never thought would happen. It set off a celebration throughout the city, one that included Gordon walking through the streets of downtown and reveling with the fans after the series-clinching victory.
The Nuggets had finally reached the mountaintop. And it was a moment that Denver sports fans will never forget.
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THE COUNTDOWN
30: Ubaldo Jimenez has a magical season
29: Todd Helton get enshrined in Cooperstown
28: Valeri Nichushkin goes missing in the postseason – twice!
27: The Avalanche win their second Stanley Cup
26: The Nuggets come back from two 3-1 deficits in the bubble
25: The seemingly never-ending Broncos ownership saga
24: Hurricane Josh hits the Mile High City
23: The Rockies trade Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals
22: The Nuggets reach the Western Conference Finals in 2009
21: John Elway gets enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
20: The Avalanche hoist third Stanley Cup in franchise history
19: The Avalanche acquire Patrick Roy from the Canadiens
18: The Broncos produce the greatest offensive season in NFL history
17: John Elway joins the Broncos front office to right the ship
16: The Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 1996
15: The Broncos nearly decade-long quarterback carousel
14: The Avs-Red Wings rivalry turns into a bloodbath
13: The Broncos win back-to-back titles during historic season
12: The Broncos suffer one of the worst losses in franchise history
11: The Broncos part ways with head coach Mike Shanahan
10: The Nuggets trade away Carmelo Anthony in a blockbuster deal
9: Nikola Jokic finally wins a much-deserved MVP award
8: Coach Prime arrives in Boulder and resuscitates the Buffaloes
7: The Broncos make a blockbuster trade for Russell Wilson
6: The Broncos win Super Bowl 50 thanks to an all-time great defense
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Wanna hear more about this Mile High Milestone? Tune into “The Rundown” at noon or check out the show on YouTube to hear Richie Carni and a special guest take a walk down memory lane.
