2009 Denver Nuggets: Where Are They Now?

For years, the Nuggets were a competitive team in the NBA but never could get over the hump. The team made a bold move by trading away an All-Star in exchange for another All-Star. That move helped prompt the Nuggets towards a record-setting season and a first-place finish in the Northwest Division. 

Trading away Allen Iverson was seen as a questionable move at the time. Still, the addition of Chauncey Billups, paired with All-Star Carmelo Anthony, helped the Nuggets finally make a run toward the Western Conference Finals. In six games, the Nuggets gave the Los Angeles Lakers all they could handle before falling to Kobe Bryant and company. As of now, this remains the closest the Nuggets have ever been to the NBA Finals. Many years later, it’s time to check in on the 2008-09 Nuggets and where they are now.

Cheikh Samb (Retired)

A former No. 51 overall pick from 2016, Samb made his way to the Nuggets in 2008. He played in six games for the team. His stats included 0.7 points and 1.5 rebounds.

Samb played for the Clippers and Knicks in 2008-09, then never played in the league. He spent six seasons in the Iranian Super League up to 2017.

Juwan Howard (Michigan Head Coach)

Howard played for the Nuggets between 2002 and 2003 and then made his return to the team in 2008. With that said, Howard played in three games before he was released from the Nuggets. Howard was released when the Nuggets traded Allen Iverson for three players, and the team reached over their roster limit.

After winning two titles with the Heat in the last two years of his career, Howard became an assistant coach for the Heat from 2013 to 2019. Howard then became the head coach of his alma mater at the University of Michigan in 2019. Howard led the team to a 19-12 record in his first season, but the postseason was canceled due to COVID-19. Then, he won the 2021 AP Coach of the Year Award after leading Michigan to a Big 10 Conference title and an Elite 8 appearance. Last year, Michigan made the Sweet 16 after a 19-15 regular season.

Jason Hart (NBA G-League Coach)

Hart spent the beginning of the season with the Clippers and then was waived by the team at the end of February. He was picked up by the Nuggets and played 11 games for the team. After his stint in Denver, he played five total NBA games before leaving the league for good.

Hart got into coaching in 2011 and served as the head coach at Taft High School in Los Angeles. Hart was then hired as an assistant coach at Pepperdine in 2012 and then joined Andy Enfield’s staff at USC in 2013 and served there until 2021. Hart was then hired as the head coach of the NBA G-League Ignite.

Sonny Weems (Professional Basketball Player)

Weems was not drafted by the Nuggets but began his professional career with the team. Weems scored four points in his debut in January of this season. Weems was later traded to the Bucks for Carlos Delfino.

Weems has not played in the NBA since 2016. He has played overseas, with his best performances coming in the Chinese Basketball Association with the Guangdong Southern Tigers, where he is a three-time CBA champion and the 2020 Finals MVP.

Chucky Atkins (Former High School Basketball Coach)

Atkins signed with the Nuggets in 2007, but a hernia injury kept him from being productive through the 2007-08 season. Atkins remained with the team going into the next season but would play with the team up to January 7, 2009. Atkins would be traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder with a first-round pick for Johan Petro and a 2009 second-round pick.

Atkins played with the Thunder for the rest of the year and then played one more season in the NBA with the Pistons in 2009-10. Atkins quickly got into coaching at his alum high school in 2012-13 and 2013-14. However, he quit the job before the 2014-15 season after being arrested for driving under the influence two times within three months.

Johan Petro (Retired)

Petro was acquired by the Pistons in a trade midway through the season. He averaged 2.2 points in 27 games and 8.1 minutes which made the cost of a first-round pick hard to swallow. Petro was retained by the Pistons for the 2009-10 season but averaged only 3.4 points and 3.6 rebounds. Petro stuck around the NBA three more seasons, two with the Nets and then one with the Hawks.

After leaving the NBA in 2013, Petro played internationally with five different clubs. His last team was based in Puerto Rico. He then retired to the NBA D-League before being cut by the Sioux Falls Skyforce in 2017. Petro has not made any news since then.

Renaldo Balkman (Professional Basketball Player)

During this season, Balkman played in 53 games and averaged 5.0 points and 3.8 rebounds. He also made 10 starts after Kenyon Martin went down with an injury. Balkman’s best game was when he recorded a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds against the Clippers in the regular season. Balkman played one more season with the Nuggets and then went back to the New York Knicks, who drafted Balkman in the first round in 2006. Balkman was cut from the Knicks to make room for Jeremy Lin.

Balkman joined the Petron Blaze Boosters of the Philippine Basketball Association in 2013 but was famously given a lifetime ban for physically confronting a referee. The suspension was later lifted in 2018. Balkman was the LNBP Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the year on his way to winning a championship in a professional league based in Mexico. He later won the BSN championship and Finals MVP in 2016, a league based in Puerto Rico. He also won an ABL championship and Defensive Player of the Year Award, a league based in far east Asia. He has since played for the Mets de Guaynabo, a league based in Puerto Rico.

Anthony Carter (NBA Coach)

Carter joined the Nuggets in 2007 and spent a year with the team before resigning with the Nuggets in 2008. Carter averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 assists per game as a key reserve. He played in 78 games and averaged 22.9 minutes per game.

After leaving the league as a player in 2012, he joined the Austin Spurs as an assistant coach. In 2015, he was hired by the Kings as an assistant coach. One year later, he was an assistant coach for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the D-League. Since 2018, Carter has been the Heat’s player development coach.

Dahntay Jones (NBA Coach)

Jones was a younger player at the time after entering the league in 2003. He joined the Nuggets in free agency and played a critical role during the regular season. Jones played 79 games and made 79 starts. He averaged 5.4 points and shot a career-high 64.7% from three-point range in limited opportunities.

After this season, Jones spent three years with the Pacers, one season with the Mavericks, half a season with the Hawks, and then was sent down to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. He rejoined the NBA briefly with the Clippers in 2015 before being sent to the Grand Rapids Drive. He won an NBA championship as a member of the Cavaliers in 2016, playing in 15 games. In 2020, Jones was hired by the Clippers to be the team’s player and development coach.

Chris Andersen (Retired)

It was in 2008 that Andersen was reinstated by the NBA after violating the league’s anti-drug policy by testing positive for a banned substance. In his first full season back, Andersen made 71 appearances for the Nuggets and averaged 6.4 points and 6.2 rebounds. It was his best defensive season, where he averaged a career-high 2.5 blocks. Andersen played for the Nuggets three more seasons before joining the Heat in 2012-13, where he played a backup role on his way to winning a championship.

Andersen played in the NBA until 2017, when he played for the Heat, Cavaliers, Grizzlies, and Cavaliers. Andersen spent one season playing in the Big3 and helped the Power win the Big3 championship. The following year Andersen suffered a serious knee injury and has been out of professional sports ever since.

Linas Kleiza (Executive)

Kleiza was coming off a 2007-08 season where he averaged a career-high 11.1 points. In his fourth season, Kleiza continued to play a complementary role to the Nuggets and averaged 9.9 points and 4.0 rebounds in 82 games. Kleiza left the Nuggets after the season and joined the Olympiacos of the Greek League, where he was an All-EuroLeague First Team selection. He then returned to the Raptors for three seasons. In 2014, he left basketball for good due to knee problems.

After a few years out of the league, Kleiza received part of the BC Rytas shares and was named vice president and sports director of the club. In 2020, Kleiza left the team due to disagreements with other executives of the team. As of now, Kleiza has been out of professional basketball completely as a player and executive.

Kenyon Martin (Father)

Martin was acquired by the Nuggets in 2004 and played with the team up to 2011. For the 2008-09 season, Martin averaged 11.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and shot a career-high 36.8% from three-point range. Martin played in the NBA until 2015, playing for the Clippers, Knicks, and Bucks as well. During that time, that included a 12-game stint with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in the CBA.

While Martin does not make many headlines himself, his son is making them. Instead, Kenyon Martin Jr. is a member of the Houston Rockets, and the older Martin is likely watching as many games as he can. As of recently, Martin Jr. committed to the 2023 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. It will be interesting to see if Martin, a 2004 All-Star selection, will be in attendance.

Nene (Retired)

After a three-year professional stint in Brazil, Nene was a part of the 2002 NBA Draft and was acquired by the Nuggets in a trade with the Knicks. Nene played for the team from 2002 to 2012 and was a starter for the majority of his time. The 2008-09 season featured Nene averaging a career-high in points (14.6) and rebounds (7.8) in 76 starts. Nene was later traded midway through the 2011-12 season to the Wizards, where he played until the 2015-16 season.

Nene played three more years in the NBA with the Rockets between 2016 to 2019. Nene remained in the NBA for the 2019-20 season but did not play a game due to a lingering injury. These days, Nene appears to be just living life with his wife and three sons. That is based on his Instagram posts and the fact we don’t see Nene in the news since leaving the league.

J.R. Smith (College Student And Gamer)

In 2006, Smith was traded two times in a week and was eventually acquired by the Nuggets, a team he played for up to 2011-12. During the 2008-09 season, Smith averaged 15.2 points and shot 39.7% from three-point range. The following season, Smith scored a season-high 41 points against the Hawks. It was the first time that an NBA player recorded multiple games of 10 three-pointers. After his stint with the Nuggets, Smith played a season for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls due to the NBA lockout and then returned to the NBA in 2012. 

Smith played for the Knicks between 2012 and 2015. He was then acquired by the Cavaliers and became a starter for the 2016 championship team. Smith played in the Finals two more times with the Cavaliers but is best remembered for his mismanagement of the clock in Game 1 of the 2018 Finals. Smith won another championship in 2020 as a reserve for the Lakers and then left the league for good in 2021 when he enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University to pursue a degree in liberal studies and join the golf team. Smith finished his year as the North Carolina A&T Academic Athlete of the Year with a 4.0 GPA. In 2021, Smith was also signed with Complexity Gaming, where he played in Warzone tournaments.

Chauncey Billups (NBA Head Coach)

The 2004 Finals MVP played for the Nuggets from 1999-2000 before his legendary run with the Pistons. The Nuggets reacquired Billups in 2008 when the team traded Allen Iverson for Billups, Antonio McDyess, and Cheikh Samb. Billups averaged 17.7 points and 6.4 assists for the team. He was also the only Nuggets player selected at the All-Star Game. With Billups bringing a new set of skills to the team, the Nuggets tied a franchise record for wins.

Billups with the Pistons up to 2011 and was traded midway through the season to the Knicks. After a 21-game stint, he was acquired by the Clippers but played a combined 42 games in two seasons. He retired from the league in 2014 after 19 games with the Pistons. After that, Billups spent a season with the Killer 3s in the Big3 League. He got into coaching in 2020 as an assistant coach for Ty Lue 2020. He was then hired by the Trail Blazers in 2021 as the team’s head coach.

Allen Iverson (Hall Of Famer)

Midway through the 2006-07 season, the 76ers dealt Iverson to the Nuggets, where he became an All-Star in his first full season the following year. Iverson’s time with the Nuggets did not last long during the 2008-09 season. After three games averaging 18.7 points and 6.7 assists, the Nuggets traded Iverson to the Pistons for a package around Chauncey Billups. In 54 games with Detroit, Iverson averaged 17.4 points and 4.9 assists.

Iverson played one more season in the NBA, splitting time with the Grizzlies for three games before returning to the 76ers for 25 games. Iverson then spent one season in the Turkish Super League from 2010-11. Iverson officially retired in 2013 and was later inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. Iverson played one season in the Big3 League. Since then, he has made paid appearances at 76ers games and spends time with his children.

Carmelo Anthony (Free Agent)

Despite not making the All-Star Game this season, Anthony finished a successful season averaging 22.8 points, 6.8 assists, and shot 37.1% from three-point range. With Anthony and Billups leading the way, the Nuggets made an appearance in the Conference Finals. In 16 playoff games, Anthony averaged 27.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. Anthony played one more season with the Nuggets and then was traded to the Knicks in the middle of the 2010-11 season after asking for a trade.

In New York, Anthony won a scoring title in 2013 and helped the team win a divisional title. He was traded to the Thunder in 2017, where he spent one season. Anthony then played 10 games for the Rockets in 2018-19 and then two more seasons for the Trail Blazers. Last year, Anthony played a reserve role and made 69 appearances for the Lakers. For now, he remains a free agent despite many players in the league believing he is still capable of playing in the NBA.

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