Denver Nuggets guard KJ Simpson drives past Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) and center Nikola Vučević (4) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Denver Nuggets guard KJ Simpson drives past Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) and center Nikola Vučević (4) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The Denver Nuggets are coming back to Boulder. And so is KJ Simpson.
The Nuggets and the University of Colorado announced Tuesday that the NBA franchise will play an exhibition game at the CU Events Center during the preseason next month, with Denver set to host the Utah Jazz on Oct. 4.
The matchup will bring Simpson back to the Events Center. One of the stars of CU’s 2024 NCAA Tournament team, Simpson averaged 19.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists with a .434 3-point percentage for the Buffs during the 2023-24 season, earning first team All-Pac-12 honors.
Simpson was selected in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2024 draft by Charlotte, where he averaged 7.8 points in 36 games as a rookie. Simpson played 14 games with the Hornets last season before getting released, later signing a two-way contract with the Nuggets in February. Simpson appeared in six games with the Nuggets, averaging 1.2 points in limited minutes.
In 56 career NBA games, Simpson has averaged 6.7 points and 2.7 assists with a .265 3-point percentage. The matchup between the Nuggets and Jazz nearly was a reunion-homecoming for Simpson and former CU teammate Cody Williams, Utah’s first pick in the 2024 draft, but Williams was traded to Minnesota on Aug. 29.
The game will mark the Nuggets’ fourth exhibition game at the Events Center, and the first since a 2015 matchup against the Chicago Bulls.