Late in the 2016-17 season, I was part of a trade to Denver and joined a young, exciting Nuggets team. During my first full season in 2017-18, we went 46-36 — Denver’s first winning season since 2013 — but missed the playoffs by a game. I said before the 2018-19 season that I believed we had the talent to be a top four team in the West and that’s what happened. The team finished 54-28 (second in the West) and won the franchise’s first playoff series since 2009.

The 2019-20 season is one we will never forget. The Covid pandemic cut the NBA regular season short in March and in many ways, the NBA suspending its season was the wake-up call that made the pandemic a reality in the US. The NBA was also the first league to re-start play and we headed to Orlando in July to complete our season in a “bubble.” Adam Silver and Michele Roberts deserve a ton of credit for their leadership in helping to pull off what few believed could happen — a successful, safe return of pro sports and an exciting conclusion to our season. We became the first team to come back from two straight 3-1 series deficits, beating Utah and the Clippers and advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2009.