As the Denver Nuggets are now just one win away from their first NBA Finals appearance in team history, one of the greatest to ever dawn for number 15 in Denver has announced his retirement from basketball.

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Denver Nuggets One WIn Away From First Trip Ever To The NBA Finals

Today, May 22nd, 2023, is potentially the biggest game in Denver Nuggets' history. The Nuggets have a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals series. If they win tonight, they will have swept the famous (and hated) Los Angeles Lakers and will move on to the NBA Finals for the first time in Denver Nuggets History. Think about that, nearly 50 years in the NBA and this could potentially be their very first trip to the big dance for a shot at the biggest prize in all of basketball. It's amazing. Even if they don't win tonight, as the Lakers' backs are against the wall and they might find a way to win one, the odds of them beating the Nuggets four games in a row is about zero. It's literally never happened.

Why is this team so special? One of the coolest things about this 2022-2023 Denver Nuggets team is that our stars are homegrown. Drafted by the Nuggets and given the time to develop and become the very best team in the Western Conference, and quite possibly the entire NBA. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., our biggest starts aren't bought. We don't have a superteam like LA does and I'm super proud of the Nugget's ability to draft superstars. One of my favorite draft picks in Nuggets history, who famously dawned the number 15, before Jokic, has finally announced his retirement from the NBA.

Legendary Denver Nugget Announces Retirement From NBA Basketball

The day was June 26th, 2003, when the Denver Nuggets drafted forward, and future Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony from Syracuse with the 3rd pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. The two players drafted before him were LeBron James and Darko Milicic. NBA legends Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade were drafted after Melo at numbers 4 & 5. Camelo would be a part of the best Nuggets team in decades, helping them get to the Western Conference Finals in 2009 for the first time since 1985. After 20 years, Carmelo officially called it an NBA career today.

Melo spent nearly a decade with the Denver Nuggets before being traded to the New York Knicks towards the end of the 2010-2011 season. The way that the trade happened, with Melo turning down a contract extension in Denver, left a super sour taste in the fan's mouths and they would go on to boo Melo anytime he played in Denver with the Knicks or other teams over the years. Looking back though, besides Jokic, was there ever a better number 15? Here's Carmelo's official retirement announcement...

I had the pleasure of meeting Melo early on in my career. I even have an audio drop from him saying "Hey, it's Carmelo Anthony from your Denver Nuggets with Big Rob on the Radio!" I think he was the first to ever do one of those for me too which was awesome. Melo was a part of the beginning of making Denver Nuggets basketball relevant again, and while he'll not likely get his number 15 retired in Denver because of Jokic, he should be celebrated as one of the greatest to ever dawn a Nuggets jersey because he was. Thank you, Melo, and congrats on your amazing career.

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