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The '''Denver Nuggets''' are a professional [[basketball]] team based in [[Denver]], [[Colorado]]. They were one of four teams from the American Basketball Association that, upon its folding, were taken in by the NBA.

The '''Denver Nuggets''' are a professional [[basketball]] team based in [[Denver]], [[Colorado]].

 

One of the charter members of the American Basketball Association, the team was originally called the Larks (after the Colorado state bird) but before their first season, changed their name to the Rockets (after the majority owner's trucking company).  During its ABA tenure the team made the playoffs in every season, but never reached the ABA finals until 1974, losing to the [[Brooklyn Nets|New York Nets]] led by [[Julius Erving]].

 

Upon the ABA folding, the team was one of four that were taken in by the NBA.  However, as the Rocket name was in use by the [[Houston Rockets]], the team held a contest to choose a new name.  The "Nuggets" name which won honored a prior team of the same name, which played two seasons (one in the National Basketball League, and the second as a charter member of the NBA) before folding.

Until 2023 when they won their first championship as led by their remarkable center [[Nikola Jokić]], Denver was one of five teams to have never won an NBA title, and until 2023 were the only old ABA franchise not to have made an NBA Finals.  However, in 2023 they finally made an NBA Finals, and won the title, making them the second former ABA franchise to do so.

Until 2023 when they won their first championship as led by their remarkable center [[Nikola Jokić]], Denver was one of five teams to have never won an NBA title, and until 2023 were the only old ABA franchise not to have made an NBA Finals.  However, in 2023 they finally made an NBA Finals, and won the title, making them the second former ABA franchise to do so.