When the NBL merged with the BBL in 1949 and became the National Basketball Association, the Nuggets became an NBA team. The westernmost team in the NBA, the Nuggets were led by player/coach Jimmy Darden, a star shooting guard. The Nuggets played one season in the NBA, compiling an 11-51 record in the Western Division. The team was disbanded in 1950, leaving Colorado without any major league sports teams until the birth of the AFL’s Denver Broncos in 1960.