Legend English finds place in Nuggets’ family, history
EDITOR’S NOTE: First in a series about basketball icons in Colorado.
Alex English is a proponent of history, particularly his place in it.
And it was only recently that the most decorated Denver Nugget in the franchise’s 53-year history was comfortable with how he was recognized. The Nuggets have honored their all-time leader in points and assists on several occasions over the past few years, weaving an integral thread into the franchise’s somewhat unheralded past.
Their efforts, particularly that of vice president of basketball administration Lisa Johnson, now in her 39th season, have re-established a bond with English, the NBA’S leading scorer throughout the 1980s and a Hall of Famer.
“If you go back, it’s like looking at the Boston Celtics without thinking about Larry Bird and Bill Russell and Kevin Mchale and
Robert Parish and looking at the Lakers without Kareem Abduljabbar and Magic (Johnson),” English told The Denver Post by phone. “Those players become, they’re iconic players that become a part of the brand. … It took the Nuggets a long time to recognize and follow through with that.”
English is heartened by the fact that the team has paid homage to its past, honoring pillars like Fat Lever and Dan Issel, along with
others like David Thompson and Byron Beck, who paved the way before them.
“For a while there, all you knew were the Nuggets that were on the floor,” English said. “You didn’t realize, not realize, but they didn’t recognize the players that were a part of the history who had their jerseys up in the rafters there. It was ‘OK, we got this team, this season. Let’s do it and ya, ya, ya.’”
That baffled English, whose 1984-1985 team under Doug Moe had run-and-gun their way to the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers. Were it not for a thumb injury to English, the Nuggets might have made the franchise’s first-ever trip to the NBA Finals. That came amid a string of nine consecutive postseason appearances.
“Think about it like this,” said English, an eight-time All-star whose jersey was retired by the team in 1992. “Think about Microsoft and Apple, and Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Can you imagine them not being a part of the history of those places? Or Dave Thomas with Wendy’s.”
This is where Johnson deserves immense credit. She had maintained friendships with English, Lever and Issel, among others, and had gotten a sense that they felt disconnected with the organization through the decades.
“I just thought it was super important to bring them back into the family,” she said.
Johnson credits current president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, who was hired in 2013, along with Josh Kroenke for “giving me my wings to fly to get it to happen,” she recalled. “I just started reaching out to the guys, and kind of informally have them come to games and then honoring them.”
In 2014, the Nuggets celebrated the 20th anniversary of their No. 8 upset over the No. 1 seed Seattle Supersonics with a commemorative ceremony. In 2015, Lever had his own night to be honored, followed later by a jersey retirement. Finally, on Oct. 21, 2017, the Nuggets opened the vault to celebrate their 50th anniversary. English, Thompson, Beck, Issel, Moe and Dikembe Mutombo were all on hand, each stopping to hug Johnson after they were announced to the Pepsi Center crowd.
“Now many of you may not know Lisa,” Issel said that night. “Lisa actually runs this organization. And if anybody deserves to have a banner in the rafters commemorating what she has done here in her 35 years, it’s this young lady.”
Said Johnson: “That 50th anniversary opening night event, honestly, I have to say that was the highlight of my career. To be standing there, on the center court, with those guys who are not only legends but my friends and realizing that some of the guys came back because I’m the one who asked them. … To be out there with them, and share that moment, I will never forget it as long as I live.”
No one can quite explain why exactly it took so long for the Nuggets to recognize their past. One theory was the organizational turnover after Stan Kroenke bought the Nuggets in 2000. Another was the churn of coaches and executives after that time. It’s possible that the lack of a championship, despite the up-tempo, exciting brand of basketball Denver played in the 1980s, suggested there wasn’t much to celebrate.
But Thompson’s soaring jams and English’s silky touch would contend otherwise. To hear English dissect Moe’s breakneck offense — “There were rules to our cutting” — or to listen as he breaks down the art of his historical midrange game, is to understand that there was plenty to recognize, championship or not.
“We were a part of the base of the foundation,” English said. “The winning foundation.”