Nuggets looking to bridge gap from past to present with 50th year anniversary

There has been no information released on what the Denver Nuggets may be concocting for their 50th year anniversary celebration but, on Friday, Nuggets legend Alex English spoke with Sean Walsh and me on the Walsh and McBride show and shed light onto what the organization may have in the works to honor their 50th season of Denver Nuggets basketball.

“All I can say is that they have some good stuff planned. All of us are going to be a part of it. We are looking forward to it,” English said after being asked if Denver is looking to bring back more of their all-time great players. “I am hoping that they are just going to lay it out for the fans because it’s 50 years of basketball for Denver. There have been some great basketball players to come through there and I am looking forward to seeing them all and being there with them.”

For lifelong Nuggets’ fans, this is music to their ears. From what English said it sure seems like there will be an emphasis on bringing back former great Nuggets players to be honored and involved in the festivities of the 50th year anniversary of the team.

For so long, Nuggets’ fans have desperately wanted their childhood hero, whether it be English, Dan Issel, Fat Lever, David Thompson, Dikembe Mutombo or any of the many other great Nuggets of years past, to be more involved with the current Denver Nuggets. That same desire to have the Nuggets’ embrace their history seems to be shared by the fans and the Nuggets alumni themselves.

“I am glad to see that the Nuggets are doing that because for a while there they seem to have forgotten a lot of us guys,” English explained. “They seem to be reaching out more. I have done a few more things with the Nuggets. I know Lafayette Lever and some of those other guys are looking to be a part of that Nuggets organization and would like to be a part of the things that are going on because that is a team that they put most of their career in. I personally enjoy that they have reached out; I am glad that they have. I would like it to be more but it is up to the Nuggets. They have to be the ones reaching out and we can only express our interest.”

The Nuggets have been taking steps to embrace their history; most recently retiring Mutombo’s jersey to start last season, honoring Lever three years ago, and bringing back English last season, but there is still a sizable gap between the Nuggets of old and the present organization.

Hopefully, the celebratory nature of the 50th year anniversary of the Nuggets can be used as a catalyst to begin rebuilding the bridge between the current organization and the great players of past years. Embracing the history of the Denver Nuggets and honoring all-time greats has been lacking around Pepsi Center for years and being able to mend that bond would be a beautiful act, especially when honoring half-of-a-century of Denver Nuggets basketball.