DENVER (KDVR) — Ever since 2003, Denver Nuggets followers have had the pleasure of watching a participant within the No. 15 jersey ball out on the then-Pepsi Middle, and now Ball Enviornment.
The one drawback — 15 has been worn by two gamers throughout that point, and even worse, they’re arguably the Nuggets’ two finest gamers in historical past.
The gamers of be aware are Nuggets legend Carmelo Anthony and present famous person Nikola Jokić, who each share an elite expertise for the game and an affinity for the quantity 15.
For Anthony, that expertise has led him to a nomination for the Basketball Corridor of Fame as a part of the 2025 class. He’s joined by NBA star Dwight Howard, legendary WNBA gamers Sue Chook, Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles, amongst others.
Whereas Anthony’s nomination can be celebrated by the franchise and followers alike, it has left folks asking one query: Will Anthony get his No. 15 jersey retired by the Nuggets?
Throughout his time with the group, Anthony turned a 6x NBA All-Star, 2x All-NBA choice, NBA All-Rookie First Crew and led the Nuggets to seven consecutive playoff appearances, which included a run to the Western Convention Finals in 2009 when the group confronted off in opposition to the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony went toe to toe with the late, nice Kobe Bryant.
In most eventualities, his jersey would fly at Mach 9 to the Ball Enviornment rafters. Nevertheless, this is not most eventualities.
Jokić, a candidate to be a first-ballot Corridor of Famer himself, continues to be an lively participant and wears the identical jersey quantity that Anthony made well-known in Denver.
So, what do they do?
There are no concise guidelines on how groups retire numbers. For instance, Bryant’s jersey No. 8 and No. 24 had been retired concurrently, as he wore one and altered to the opposite midway by means of his profession.
There are literally a number of different NBA groups which have run into this precise drawback, together with:
- Portland Trailblazers, No. 30 — Bobby Gross, Terry Porter
- New York Knicks, No. 15 — Earl Monroe, Dick McGuire
The retirement of Anthony’s jersey has not been confirmed, however historical past exhibits that Jokić actively sporting the quantity might not have an effect on the franchise’s determination.
Anthony completed his profession as a 10x NBA All-Star, 6x All-NBA Crew, NBA seventy fifth Anniversary Crew, tenth highest scorer in historical past, 3x gold and 1x bronze Olympic medalist and NCAA champion as a freshman.
