Kentucky wildcats Legendary player and Coach Announced Desire to see Club Bounce back at Rupp Arena…
DENVER – The first shot of the 2023 NBA Finals was not made by Denver Nuggets stars Nikola Jokić or Jamal Murray.
Previously former Nuggets star in Dan Issel.After 47 seasons in the league, the Nuggets were about to play the first game of their first NBA Finals appearance.
Denver could have chosen former greats like Alex English, Fat Lever, Dikembe Mutombo or Carmelo Anthony to represent them on this historic night. But more than two decades after Issel responded to a problematic fan with a racially insensitive comment and resigned as Nuggets coach, the franchise chose to spotlight “The Horse” before the start of the Finals NBA.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever had a welcome like that since I left,” Issel, who missed a commercial free throw before the first game, told Andscape. “I was at a game earlier this [season] and they put me on the jumbotron and there was a good reception. But nothing like the first game. I would have liked to be a little more involved. I love the franchise.
I’ve done everything from player to coach to administration to coloring the televised match.“But they started asking me for it back. I’ve had several membership meetings this year. So it’s nice to be back there.”Long before Jokić was born, Issel was arguably the best player in Nuggets franchise history.
Issel was a member of the Nuggets when they played their final season in the American Basketball Association and lost to Julius “Dr. J”Erving and the New York Nets in the 1976 ABA Finals. The Nuggets were one of four NBA teams to merge with the NBA during the 1976-77 season. Issel was the Nuggets’ all-time leading scorer with 25,198 points from 1975 to 1985 before being surpassed by Engels.
Issel is a Basketball Hall of Famer who ranks 12th all-time on the NBA-ABA career points list with 27,482. The former University of Kentucky star was nicknamed “The Horse” for his toughness. He missed only 24 games during his 15-year professional basketball career.
The seven-time All-Star is also the Nuggets’ all-time leader in free throws made and total rebounds.
The 1985 J. Walter Kennedy Citizen Award winner’s No. 44 jersey was also retired by the Nuggets.“He was really good.
“He would have been interesting in today’s game because he was a 3-point shooter,” former Nuggets star forward Bill Hanzlik said.
“He could drop those 28-footers and go to the basket, too. It was an undersized center. He was strong. He was leaving, he was powerful. Strong legs. I stopped at nothing
