The Denver Nuggets announced that it has decided to do the unthinkable and rebrand its franchise once again. Their changes include six new distinct logos, three updated uniforms, and a new 4-color scheme. In recent years, the Nuggets have been remembered for their baby blue and gold uniforms, resembling college teams such as UCLA (which started when Kiki Vandeweghe changed the colors to match his college alma mater). For the 2018-2019 season, the franchise has ditched the powder blue, and fans can expect to see a new color palette featuring Midnight Blue, Sunshine Yellow, Flatirons Red, and Skyline Blue.
On the night of game 3 of the 2018 NBA finals, Cleveland Cavaliers verse Golden State Warriors, the Nuggets players, executives, and coaches all gathered in downtown Denver to reveal the new uniforms and logos. Unusual timing for the announcement as the culmination of the 2018 NBA season is winding down with the hype of the Finals. While this year’s Finals have not been as exciting as the conference finals (Warriors vs Rockets and Cavs vs Celtics), making this announcement at this time shows that the Nuggets are ready for the change now.
The change may come as a shock to many fans, but this is nothing new with the Denver Nuggets. Representatives from the Denver organization emphasized that the Nuggets are an organization that is always willing to adapt, and each era has its distinct look and feel.
Aiming to capture the evolution of both the City of Denver and the team as a whole, the new uniforms pay homage to the past while embracing a better future.
Denver Nuggets Primary Logo 2004-2018
Denver's home jersey is all white with blue trim, and “Nuggets” wording in the color of Flatirons Red across the chest. The color red was incorporated due to Colorado's Spanish origin, meaning "colored red". The team's second jersey is Midnight Blue, and across the chest is "Denver" in Gold. The third uniform, the Statement Edition, pays tribute to the Mile High City. For the first time in history, a Denver sports team will have "Mile High City" on the front.
As for the new logos, one of the secondary logos is Denver's Skyline with the mountains in the background and a basketball overshadowing, paying homage to the classic multicolored logo from 1982 - 1993. The primary logo that will be displayed on the team's uniforms features the pickaxes and a basketball in the colors Midnight Blue, Sunshine Yellow, and Flatirons Red. The global logo is very similar to the primary; it features pickaxes, a basketball, and the same color scheme, but also includes the team's wordmark around it. In addition, the Nuggets have updated a very popular alternate logo from the old color palette and now has been updated with the new color scheme.
Josh Kroenke, President of the Denver Nuggets and Vice Chairman of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, told NBA.com that the journey leading to this moment started several years ago. Kroenke also shared that the keyword to this transformation is "Evolve," as he believes his franchise is evolving into something new and exciting.
Led by center Nikola Jokić, Denver is coming off its best season in the past five years, and Kroenke believes the rebranding is for the new and current players to build and call their own.
The Nuggets have high hopes for the upcoming 2018-2019 season and hope that the new look will add excitement for players, coaches, and, of course, the fans.
