This is the logo of the Denver Nuggets basketball franchise that played one season, in 1949-50, in the National Basketball Association. The franchise, the first major sports team to play in the state of Colorado, was not associated in any way with the current NBA Nuggets. Like many pro sports teams in that era, they began as an amateur team, playing in AAU tournaments, and they were one of the most powerful amateur hoop teams in the country. They went pro in 1948, joining the National Basketball League, then became an NBA franchise in ’49 when the NBL merged with the Basketball Association of America to form the new NBA. The team was disbanded after its’ only season, in which it finished with an 11-51 record. Former U.S. Congressman Morris Udall was a member of the team in its’ 1948 season. Their best player was player/coach Jimmy Darden, a shooting guard out of the University of Denver.