American Basketball Association

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Lore & Background

The Denver franchise entered professional basketball not in the NBA, but in the American Basketball Association, where they competed as the Denver Rockets. This identity lasted until a contest was held in 1974 to rebrand the team, as the NBA already possessed a Houston Rockets franchise. The name 'Nuggets' was selected from this contest, honoring the city's mining history and connecting back to the original amateur and early professional teams that had used the same moniker decades prior. Vince Boryla, a former player for the original 1930s AAU Nuggets, later joined the current franchise as president and general manager in 1985, bridging the gap between the city's basketball past and its ABA-present future. The connection to the original Denver Nuggets is historical rather than direct; the 1940s professional team disbanded after a single NBA season (1949–50) with an 11–51 record. However, the spirit of that first franchise lived on through the name and the local legend of Vince Boryla. This merger marked a turning point, allowing the 'Nuggets' identity to return permanently under the national banner. The team initially played their games at the Denver Auditorium Arena, the same venue where the original Nuggets had competed before disbanding in 1950.

In Their Own Story

In 1974, a contest was held to rename the Denver Rockets due to the existence of the Houston Rockets in the NBA. The winning entry was 'Nuggets,' reviving a name that echoed the city's early basketball history and its original amateur teams from the 1930s. This rebranding coincided with Vince Boryla's involvement, a man who had played for the original AAU Nuggets in the late 1930s before becoming an executive for the new NBA franchise. Before this move, the Denver Rockets had established their home at the Denver Auditorium Arena, a historic venue that also hosted the original professional Nuggets during their brief 1949–50 campaign.

Reader's Guide

To understand the current Denver Nuggets, one must trace their lineage through the American Basketball Association. During this ABA tenure, the team participated in a 1974 name change contest that resulted in the adoption of the 'Nuggets' title, linking them to Denver's sports heritage. The original professional Nuggets, who played in the NBA for only one season (1949–50) before folding, share no direct organizational connection with this franchise, yet they share the same name and venue history. The team's early years in the NBA saw them playing at the Denver Auditorium Arena from 1967 to 1975, overlapping with their ABA existence before the official NBA integration. Vince Boryla, a legendary figure who played for the original AAU Nuggets and later served as president and general manager of the current franchise from 1985 to 1988, symbolizes the deep roots of Denver basketball history that span from the amateur era through the ABA and into modern NBA success.

Did You Know?

• The original professional Denver Nuggets disbanded after just one NBA season (1949–50) with a record of 11–51, making no direct connection to the current franchise despite sharing the name.
• A contest held in 1974 selected 'Nuggets' as the new nickname for the Denver Rockets because the NBA already had the Houston Rockets.
• Vince Boryla played for the original AAU Nuggets in the 1930s and later served as president and general manager of the current NBA franchise from 1985 to 1988.
• Both the original professional Nuggets (1949–50) and the current franchise's early years played at the Denver Auditorium Arena.