Denver Nuggets Logo — Denver Nuggets is a professional team of basketball of the NBA based in Denver, Colorado. After starting to play in the ABA, the team was criticized for being located in Kansas City, Missouri, before moving to Denver. His participation in the postseason came from the outset, reaching access to ABA Finals in his second year as Nuggets (formerly known as Denver Rockets) but losing to New York Nets in six games.
The Nuggets had a strong team led by Byron Beck, Larry Jones, Ralph Simpson and Spencer Haywood, the latter signed for the season 1969 — 70 and being particularly known for being one of the first players to move from school to professional basketball, without contesting a single university meeting. In his only season in the ABA, Haywood averaged 30 points and 20 rebounds per game, joining later by Seattle SuperSonics and jumping to the NBA.
In 1974, hoping to join in a future NBA Nuggets changed their name because there was already a team (Houston) Rockets with the name, the first nickname that Denver used in the 1949-50 season of NBA. The logo was a miner holding an ABA ball.
With the new additions of David Thompson, Marvin Webster, Dan Issel and Bobby Jones, and coach Larry Brown, the Nuggets made the best seasons in its history by reaching the Finals of the ABA in 1976. Following the demise of the ABA in 1976, the NBA allowed the Nuggets to join the league along with New York Nets, San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers.