Let’s take a look…

Nuggets Original NBA Logo, 1948-49

This is one I was not aware of. Before the Nuggets graced the ABA, there was an NBA franchise called the Nuggets that only lasted a year, but carries the distinction as being the first basketball team to charter a flight. The original logo doesn’ t look like much, but set out the Gold Miner motif that would be the basis for future logos.

Original Denver Rockets, 1968-71

Denver Rockets 1971-1974

Next came the Denver Rockets – Denver’s first entry into the new ABA. This red logo was used from 1968 until 1971, when they switched to a busier and in my opinion much less appealing purple and yellow version, which stayed in use until 1974.

When it became apparent that the Nuggets were going to end up in the NBA, the Rockets name was already in use by Houston, so they decided to make some changes – and the Nuggets name was revived, along with the Yosemite Sam-looking character that was the face of the Nuggets through 1981, along with an alternate pick-axe and gold nugget logo.

Nuggest Miner Logo 1974-1981

Nuggets Alternate Logo 1974-1981

Then, in the 1981-82 season, the Nuggets debuted the rainbow mosaic skyline logo that we all know and love. This multi-colored extravaganza was the primary logo until the early 90s, meaning it saw the glory days of Alex English, Fat Lever, Calvin Natt, Doug Moe, and Bill Hanzlik, mustache and all. Anyone that grew up in my generation has a soft spot in their hearts for this logo, no matter how hideous.

Nuggets 1981-1993

And finally, when the 90s rolled around the marketing department kicked into gear, realizing that what seemed like a great idea in 1981 was probably not going to keep traction in 1993, so they rebuilt the logo to something very similar to what we have today – all that changed was some color combinations. There are tons of alternate logos and color variations, but the following dark colored version came in 1993, and stayed for 10 years until 2003 when the current blue and yellow color scheme was adopted. (I’m not differentiating between the darker blue and lighter blue variations on the current logo)

Nuggets 1993-2003

So there you have it. The Nuggets are clearly a team that has been through several visual identities… not like the Lakers, whose purple and gold has remained largely unchanged since the franchise landed in Los Angeles. The current blue and yellow scheme is nice, but it makes you wonder what’s next on the horizon. So which basketball logo is your favorite? The old-time Rockets? Classic 1980s rainbow? Vote in the poll below, and be sure to leave a comment and explain your choice! Next time, we’ll look at the rest of the logos from Colorado sports history – baseball and hockey specifically, and then we’ll find out which old-time logo is the best from all sports.

[poll id="3"]

Special thanks to Chris Creamer’s Sports Logos Page for help getting good files of all these logos – SportsLogos.net

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