Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke may have missed out on a maiden Premier League title this season but his year could yet end with glory.
The professional basketball team he owns through Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, the Denver Nuggets, are one game away from their NBA finals debut. The Nuggets beat the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night 119-108 in LA to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals series.
Either the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics await the Nuggets if, as expected, they beat the Lakers in LA on Tuesday. The Nuggets, who have been owned by Kroenke since 2000, have never been to the NBA Finals and would win their first Conference championship if they are successful in Los Angeles.
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They will need Jamal Murray to be at his best again having netted 37 points with his team-mate Nikola Jokic adding 24. "We kept them at a distance for most of the game," said Murray.
"I just felt like we executed throughout the game and hit first." Getting to the NBA finals will be huge for the Nuggets, who would benefit from a massive exposure in terms of branding worldwide and in the US.
There is no real prize money fund for winning the NBA finals, but playoff-bound teams do get given a share of pot of money while players will be rewarded by bonuses in their contracts. However, the Nuggets' Ball Arena will be sold out if the team does make the NBA finals and merchandise sales will likely go through the roof.
Meanwhile there will be intense interest in Nuggets merchandise as well as the potential for a bigger local TV and radio broadcasting deal and sponsorship arrangements, with the latter key. Put simply, Kroenke stands to grow the Nuggets brand considerably if they make the NBA finals and are successful.
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