Bruce Brown returns to his best fit with Denver Nuggets

LITTLETON, Colo. – Inside an upscale barn on the Colorado Front Range, Denver Nuggets public address announcer Kyle Speller grabbed the microphone and howled to the full house:

“Ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls. Everybody get on your feet. No one sit in your seat. Yeah! Make some noise! Yee haw! And welcome back Brucey-B, baby! Bruce Brown!”

With a smile as wide as the Rocky Mountains, Brown stood donning full Western wear: a cowboy hat, jeans, a big belt buckle and cowboy boots. As happy as the Nuggets fans were to see him, the 2023 NBA champion is perhaps more thrilled to be back.

“When you find a place that fits you, you don’t want to leave,” said Brown during a private wine dinner hosted by Kendall-Jackson Wines last Wednesday.

Brown has played in 457 career NBA games over seven seasons for the Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans. But no season meant more to the 29-year-old than the 2022-23 campaign with the Nuggets. Brown averaged career-highs in points (11.5), assists (3.4), steals (1.08) and minutes (28.5) per game. More importantly, the Boston native played a key role in the Nuggets winning their first NBA championship in 2023.

Brown fondly remembered the moment when the Nuggets captured their first NBA championship with a Game 5 Finals win over the Miami Heat.

“Winning it was such a blur,” Brown said. “I just remember crying after I hit the [late] free throw. I was walking back [on the floor] and I see DeAndre Jordan and Jeff Green, who had been in the league for at that time 15, 16 years, crying already. And we had five, 10 seconds left. I’m like, ‘But the game is not over.’ It was won, but it was just such a blur. It was great.

“The parade was insane. I’ve never seen that many people in Denver in one spot at once. But yeah, I’m trying to do it again and I had a great time.”

What Brown perhaps doesn’t remember so well was the Nuggets players’ championship celebration night in Las Vegas. Bruce spearheaded a shot-for-shot battle — shots of Serbian brandy, not basketballs — with Nuggets star Nikola Jokic that was viewable on Instagram Live. How did it end? Well, it’s safe to say the three-time NBA Most Valuable Player won.

“Everybody’s seen my [Instagram] Live story of me going shot-for-shot with Nikola,” Brown said. “Not the smartest idea. Probably won’t do that again if we win. But it was just an amazing time. … So, we went to Vegas. I think we’re at the MGM and I go to him, ‘I’m going to get you drunk tonight.’ He wasn’t drinking at the dinner. He was like, ‘All right, we’ll see.’ And then they order him, I think it’s called Rakija, it’s like Serbian. So, I’m like, ‘All right, we’re going to go shot-for-shot.’ He was like, ‘All right, let’s do it. Let’s do it.’

“And I don’t remember getting to my room. Also, our flight was at 10 a.m. or 9 a.m. the next morning. By the way, you don’t go to the club until 2 [a.m.]. And he made the flight and I didn’t, all right. I think I woke up at 11 o’clock [the next day].”

Brown made $6.4 million during that lone season with the Nuggets. He made less than $1.7 million in each of his first three NBA seasons. So as much as Brown loved Denver, he declined his player option for the 2023-24 season to become an unrestricted free agent. His gamble worked as he signed a two-year, $45 million contract with the Indiana Pacers.

Brown’s time with the Pacers didn’t last long as he was traded to the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 17, 2024, in a major deal that brought three-time NBA All-Star Pascal Siakam to Indiana. Brown’s tenure with the Raptors was short as well, as he was traded to the struggling and injury-plagued New Orleans Pelicans on Feb. 6, 2020, with NBA All-Star Brandon Ingram going to Toronto. Brown hasn’t played in the playoffs since leaving Denver and was yearning for a return to the Rocky Mountains.

“I left [Denver] obviously because I got paid really well; I didn’t want to leave,” Brown said. “It was tough to leave, but I had to. I was in a place like Indy, which was on the verge of being really good. And I ended up being traded to teams where they were rebuilding and not really in a position to win a championship. And if you know how I play, I like to win. I don’t like to lose.

“So, as soon as I got to Toronto, I thought about coming back to Denver right away. Fast forward to getting traded to New Orleans. Another tough spot. A lot of injuries there. And the whole time I was in New Orleans, I was thinking about the Nuggets.”

Brown was back in free agency in the summer of 2025 with numerous suitors. But he wanted to make it apparent to the Nuggets that he wanted to return. To make that point known, Brown attended Game 4 of their second-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Denver on his own accord. He sat courtside at Ball Arena during that playoff game, received a huge ovation from the crowd when shown on the Jumbotron, and said during an interview locally with Altitude Sports Network that he was a free agent interested in returning.

The eventual NBA champion Thunder won Game 4 92-87 and eventually the series in seven games. Meanwhile, Brown’s presence caught the eye of the Nuggets. The Nuggets re-signed Brown to a one-year, $3 million contract to become a key reserve this upcoming season.

“Before the [free agency] talks, I came for a playoff game to prove a point that I wanted to be back,” Brown said. “And then [Altitude sideline reporter] Kate Winge, we had an interview and she asked me about coming back and I was like, ‘I’m going to be a free agent. So, if it happens, it happens.’ And that was just me letting people, the front office, know that I wanted to be back.

“But then once free agency started, they told me the Nuggets were highly interested in me coming back and I was like, I was on a plane, I think I was going to Nashville or going to Greece and I was like, ‘All right, I’m coming back. I don’t care who else called. I’m going back to Denver.’ ”

An argument could be made that this Nuggets roster is better and deeper than the championship team.

Back are starters Jokic, guard Jamal Murray, forward Aaron Gordon and guard Christian Braun. The Nuggets lost free agent guard Russell Westbrook, as well as forward Michael Porter Jr. in a trade to the Nets, but were rewarded with two-way forward Cameron Johnson in return. The Nuggets also added vets such as Brown, guard Tim Hardaway Jr. and center Jonas Valanciunas.

“Tim can shoot the heck out of the ball,” Brown said. “Obviously, Cam plays both ways. He’s super smart, intelligent. Obviously, losing MPJ [Porter] was a big loss, but I think Cam could fill that role and be even better. Me, obviously I play both ways, bring energy. This [season], defensively in my mind, [I’m] probably a little better than the last few years since I’ve left.

“And then we got Big V (Valanciunas) to back up (Jokic). And you can’t forget about the guys that are already here who haven’t played much. Jalen Pickett’s been playing really well. Julian Strawther, Hunter Tyson.”

Brown has played with many of the NBA’s top players during his career, but also believes Jokic is atop the list.

“I’ve played with a lot of superstars,” Brown said. “I played with Kevin Durant. I played with Kyrie Irving, James Harden. And [Jokic] is the best player that I’ve played with. Super unselfish. I remember we played the Clippers when I was here and the game is on the line and he passed me the ball to make a game-winning shot. I missed, but he came to me and was like, ‘I don’t care if you shoot and miss that shot 100 times. Even if you miss 100 times, I pass it to you every single time.’ Not every superstar or best player of the world would do that.”

So, what is the key for the Nuggets winning another NBA title this season in a tough Western Conference led by the Thunder?

“Just focus on ourselves, stay healthy,” Brown said. “There are obviously a lot of [good] teams, but we know at the end of the season that the healthiest [great] team usually wins. Just stay connected. I think that’s the biggest thing. Our [team], I think anybody can [be held accountable]. I can get on Joker. Joker can get on me. But just knowing how to talk to one another and not take anything personal, I think we have a good group for that.”

Brown’s Western wear became a part of his staple while playing with the Nuggets but looked out of place in Toronto and New Orleans. Now back with the Nuggets, the country music lover plans to add more cowboy gear to his closet.

“I have a lot of flannels, a lot of rainwear, a lot of Lucchese... hats” Brown said. “I had a deal with Stetson for a while. I think I had about 50 hats, maybe. I just started getting into American hats. So, I have a few of those as well. Boots ridiculous. I don’t even know. I think I just bought two new pairs of boots today.”