Nuggets jerseys get a golden touch
When the Denver Nuggets captured the 2023-24 NBA title, the first tangible items marking it was the usual flurry of ball caps — with ”Championship” misspelled or not —and t-shirts passed around as the game ended, followed by the appearance of the Larry O’Brien trophy. Before the start of the 2023-24 season, tradition holds that championship rings are presented.
Stitched into that stream of highly visible symbols of their title is a new gold tag on the back of the team’s jerseys. A patch with the numeral “1” over a silhouette of the O’Brien trophy has been added. NBA teams with a championship win have the patch (which the league added in about a decade ago.)
Denver Nuggets draft picks Julian Strawther, left, Jalen Pickett, middle, and Hunter Tyson, in a photo from the NBA, hold up their jerseys that show a small gold tab on the collar indicating the Nuggets NBA title win in 2023.
The team posted an image this week showing the details of the patch that signifies how many championships a franchise has won. The jerseys held by Nuggets 2023 draft picks — Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett, and Hunter Tyson — also shows the new golden tab.
Other U.S. pro leagues feature one-off references to their appearances in championships, but none have a cumulative counter like the NBA.
Wearing a jersey with five stars over the team patch, Brazil’s Neymar in action during a World Cup game in 2022. The stars represent a World Cup championship won by the national team. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
National soccer teams that have won a World Cup display a star on their kit. Brazil leads with five stars for their five titles. (Nike added a gold tab in 2019 to NCAA teams sponsored by the shoe maker who’ve won a championship and a silver tab signifying a Final Four appearance — but the patches appear only if the titles were won while wearing all Nike apparel.)
The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers jerseys show they’ve won 17 titles — which leads the NBA for most championships. Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors franchise each have a tab with a “6” and the San Antonio Spurs with a “5.”
The patch appears to be a players-only feature as replicas of team jerseys in the NBA “Team Shop” jersey page for the Nuggets — or other teams — do not show the tab on jerseys for sale.
In this image from social media, a championship tag is shown on a Nuggets jersey.