Aaron Hubert

Aaron Hubert grew up with the Nuggets as just part of his world, but he fully invested in the team when Carmelo Anthony was drafted. His favorite memory of the Nuggets before this current era was the 2009 Nuggets team, despite the loss to the L.A. Lakers in the conference finals. 

“But that whole Kobe-Carmelo battle, that's something that every couple years I'd go back to YouTube and watch it. Just such a great series,” Hubert explained. 

After all the years of cheering for the Nuggets through the ups and the downs, he said watching this season as a super fan has been phenomenal. And he is in full support of any bandwagon fans; no judgement from him. 

“The amount of texts and messages I get on social media from people who are excited about it... It's just fun to watch the fan base grow as the team has been super successful,” he explained. 

And for Hubert, it's obvious why people are getting excited about the team, beyond the fact that this is the first year the team has ever been in the finals. For him, watching this team grow from the beginning is what makes this Nuggets squad so special. 

“It's just been so awesome how we have drafted and developed and built these players from the ground up. Nikola as the 41st overall pick — nobody would ever have expected two-time MVP, potentially finals MVP, Western Conference MVP,” said Hubert. “And then to see Michael Porter Jr. come back from back injuries, Jamal Murray come back from knee injuries, the team holding onto, like, the coach and the coaching staff and just keeping this continuity.”

Of course as any true fan would, Hubert is expecting a big win from the Nuggets and hoping they win this final series 4 to 1. And when that win comes, Hubert admits he'll be feeling a lot of emotion. 

“There's gonna be tears,” said Hubert with a laugh. “I got to figure out where that's gonna happen … but being a fan for so long … I've always been excited for every playoffs. I get my hopes up, then some crushing defeats, some heartbreaks, some of that … So definitely when we win this championship, me and my family are gonna be super excited.”  

Colleen Apodaca

Growing up in Colorado, it was required for Colleen Apodaca to be a fan of all Mile High City sports. This was especially true for the Nuggets. Watching the team from the 80s, 90s and then the 2000s, all the games were like family events. And as the years went on she dedicated more of her own time to follow the team. Now this year, getting to celebrate each win with her family is a dream come true. 

“My mom and I, like, after every game — she lives in the mountains — we call each other and especially in this last season, freaking out screaming. And so it's just definitely like a bonding thing for us, definitely with my mom,” she said.

Calling it the most exciting thing she's felt in basketball in forever, Adopaca represented all sorts of Nuggets gear, including a chain with the Nuggets logo. She represents Nuggets pride through and through and doesn't let any of the doubters sway her. 

“Keep doubting us, please. We love it. Bring it. As [a] fan I don't even hear it, so I know what our team wants to do. We've got one goal in mind, and that's the championship,” Adopaca said. 

She is a bit more giving to the Miami Heat when it comes to her finals predictions. She still thinks the Nuggets will win the series, but predicts it'll take six games to do so. In Adopaca's mind, six games gives everyone plenty of time to start watching some stellar basketball. 

“It's just a good time when you're at the games or watching the games or when you meet other fans,” she explained. “There's just a whole little vibe that happens with all of us, so ... you're missing out, if you're not watching.”

She also thinks she'll be shedding some tears of joy if the Nuggets finally take the NBA title, although her description of it is pretty honest: ugly-face crying. 

“I definitely just want to feel all that excitement downtown with everybody, and I don't even know, just right now I can feel the excitement inside and it's just kind of ready to explode already," Adopca explained with a big smile on her face.  

Ron Taylor

Ron Taylor is a bit of a newer Nuggets fan, but he didn't step into the Denver fandom lightly. He first moved to Colorado in 2016 and, as a long-time NBA, fan it was easy to start watching the Nuggets. When 2020 came around and the pandemic had many people in the world reevaluating their lives, Taylor decided Denver was officially his team. He was a consistent virtual fan during the season in "the bubble"

“Watching [the Nuggets] come back … overcoming three [games] to one, twice in a row, was something that was pretty phenomenal overall. And just being a part of that whole experience was something I hold dear and it was truly special to me,” said Taylor. 

Now a season ticket holder, Taylor is all about that #nuglife and will defend them to the end, even when people doubt the team or Nikola Jokić.

“Larry Bird was a very similar player. He never looked like he belonged on the court, but then he would make this play that was just unbelievably gifted. And if you really watched it go through, it's like, ‘Wow, this is one of the best players to ever live.’ And I see so much of that in Jokić in his place now, and he's even more well-rounded than a Larry Bird player,” said Taylor. 

Attending the finals games that he can and losing his voice in the process, Taylor predicts the Nuggets will win it 4 to 1. Taylor said he will be ecstatic to be part of the big celebration for the city. 

“Be a part of that parade and just go all out. I'm going to get replica rings made for myself, Larry O'Brien trophies made,” he said. “I mean, pretty much any memorabilia that exists, I'll be adding it to my collection.”

Ryan Kenny

Born in Colorado, Ryan Kenny is a big fan of all Colorado's sports teams. He remembers growing up in the 80s and watching games all the time with his dad. That was the era for the Nuggets with head coach Doug Moe and big players Kenny pointed out like Alex English, T.R. Dunn, Calvin Natt and others. He remembers what a fun team that was to watch and feels that same excitement, if not moreso, while watching the team now. 

“Just to experience the electricity, it's been amazing, especially the last couple weeks, seeing everybody in Nuggets gear — people giving you shout outs, that normally didn't happen when you wore Nuggets stuff,” Kenny explained.

With sports as a general passion in his life, Kenny definitely noticed some of the talk that was going around the Nuggets ahead of the finals. To him, he can't believe any of them would ever consider the team not very interesting. 

“It's just a lovable team... You got this, random guy from Serbia who's breaking all these records that Wilt [Chamberlain] had for 50 years, and a guy like Jamal Murray and M.P.J. [Michael Porter Jr.] coming back from all the back injuries and then the cast that's just been being meld,” he said. 

And that true team-playing mentality is something these four super fans definitely agreed on. They believe the Nuggets right now are a rare and unique NBA team.

“That's what this Nuggets team is — they are a team," Kenny said. "It's not about stars, you know, everyone from one to 15 doesn't care as long as they win and it's great.”

Waiting all his life for these finals, Kenny is rearranging his summer travel plans and schedules to try and be at as many games as possible. So for him, the word that comes to mind about how he'll feel if the Nuggets win it all: phenomenal. 

“Hopefully I can make it to the parade, and it'll just be good for us Nuggets fans to get that monkey off of our back for 47 years,” Kenny explained.  “Actually just relief, you know, that we're finally champions after all this time.”

Amanda Horvath is the managing producer at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at amandahorvath@rmpbs.org. 

Peter Vo is the journalism intern with Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach him at petervo@rmpbs.org.

Graphics by Melanie Towler, video editor at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at melanietowler@rmpbs.org.