In the fall of 2017, the then still relatively obscure Nuggets graciously opened their doors to Sports Illustrated for a magazine feature based around a simple premise: How does a team go from fun story to title contender?
Over the course of a few days, SI asked as many people within the organization as possible—from then president Tim Connelly to then newly signed All-Star Paul Millsap—to answer that question.
It took five more seasons—filled with ups, downs, departures, MVP debates and more—for Denver to fully realize the potential it first flashed when the team was simply a respite for late-night NBA League Pass watchers. Still the Nuggets had a resolute belief even back in 2017, when Nikola Jokić was only in his third year and Jamal Murray was just 20 years old, that they could reach the mountaintop, a mile high above the rest of the NBA.
