The Nuggets began in 1967 as the Denver Rockets of the American Basketball Association, took the Nuggets name in 1974 and joined the NBA in 1976. In that time they have played in four arenas, all in Denver: the Auditorium Arena and the Denver Coliseum in the early ABA years, McNichols Sports Arena and Ball Arena.
Here is every home in order, with the years the Nuggets played there, what made each one matter and what stands on the site today. Each arena with a ThrillZing guide links to it.
Every Nuggets Arena, 1967 to Today
- Denver
- 1967–1975
Denver Auditorium Arena
The first home, in the ABA as the Denver Rockets, built into the 1908 Municipal Auditorium. Renamed the Nuggets in 1974 ahead of a hoped-for NBA move, the team went 40–2 at home in its last season here.
Today: Arena section demolished in 1990 for the Temple Buell Theatre; the auditorium is now the Ellie Caulkins Opera House
- 1967–1975
Denver Coliseum
Opened in 1951 as the National Western Stock Show's arena, and listed with the Auditorium Arena as a home of the ABA Rockets and Nuggets from 1967 to 1975.
Today: Still in use, a main venue of the National Western Stock Show
1975–1999Opened in 1975 next to Mile High Stadium. It hosted the 1976 ABA All-Star Game and ABA Finals, and the Nuggets joined the NBA here in 1976. In 1983 they lost a 186–184 triple-overtime game to Detroit here.
Today: Demolished in 2000; the site is parking for Empower Field at Mile High
Stadium history →- 1999–presentCurrent home
Opened in 1999 as the Pepsi Center and renamed Ball Arena in 2020; shared with the Avalanche and the NLL's Mammoth. The Nuggets won their first NBA title in 2023.
Visiting guide →
Nuggets Arena FAQ
Where did the Nuggets play before Ball Arena?
At McNichols Sports Arena, next to Mile High Stadium, from 1975 to 1999. Before that, as the ABA Rockets and then the Nuggets, they played at the Denver Auditorium Arena, with the Denver Coliseum also listed as a home.
How many arenas have the Nuggets had?
Four: the Denver Auditorium Arena and the Denver Coliseum (1967–1975), McNichols Sports Arena (1975–1999) and Ball Arena (since 1999).
Why did the Rockets become the Nuggets?
In 1974, with a move to the NBA and a new arena in view, the team held a contest for a new name because the Houston Rockets already had theirs. They became the Nuggets that August, moved into McNichols in 1975 and entered the NBA in 1976.
Is McNichols Sports Arena still standing?
No. It closed in 1999, when the Nuggets and Avalanche moved to the Pepsi Center, and was demolished in 2000 to make room for parking at the new football stadium, now Empower Field at Mile High. The Auditorium Arena’s section of the old Municipal Auditorium was demolished in 1990; the Denver Coliseum is still in use.
Where do the Nuggets play now?
At Ball Arena in downtown Denver, shared with the Avalanche and the Colorado Mammoth. It opened in 1999 as the Pepsi Center, was renamed in 2020 and seats 19,520 for basketball.