1995–96 Denver Nuggets season

The 1995–96 NBA season was the 20th season for the Denver Nuggets in the National Basketball Association, and their 29th season as a franchise. The Nuggets had the fifteenth overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft, and selected shooting guard Brent Barry out of Oregon State University, but soon traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for power forward, and top draft pick Antonio McDyess from the University of Alabama, and acquired Don MacLean and Doug Overton from the Washington Bullets during the off-season.

However, the Nuggets struggled by losing eight of their first nine games of the regular season, as LaPhonso Ellis missed the first 37 games due to a knee injury. Despite the slow start, the Nuggets would then recover by winning eight of their next nine games, leading to a 9–9 start, but later on lost six straight games in January, slipping below .500 with a 20–27 record at the All-Star break.

In March, the Nuggets found themselves in the middle of an ugly controversy, as Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf refused to stand for the Star-Spangled Banner, protesting what he felt was the country's poor treatment to Muslims in the world; he was then suspended for one game by the league. After his suspension, Abdul-Rauf agreed to stand and pray during the anthem; however, the damage was done, and his reputation could not be repaired, as he was the consistent target of boos from fans, before missing the remainder of the regular season with ankle and foot injuries after playing 57 games. The Nuggets finished in fourth place in the Midwest Division with a 35–47 record, and failed to qualify for the NBA playoffs.

Abdul-Rauf led the team with 19.2 points and 6.8 assists per game, and also contributed 121 three-point field goals, while Dale Ellis averaged 14.9 points per game and led the Nuggets with 150 three-point field goals, McDyess averaged 13.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, and Dikembe Mutombo provided the team with 11.0 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game, and was selected for the 1996 NBA All-Star Game in San Antonio, Texas, and also finished in third place in Defensive Player of the Year voting. In addition, Bryant Stith contributed 13.6 points and 1.4 steals per game, while MacLean provided with 11.2 points per game off the bench, LaPhonso Ellis averaged 10.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, and second-year guard Jalen Rose contributed 10.0 points and 6.2 assists per game.

Following the season, Abdul-Rauf was traded to the Sacramento Kings, while Mutombo signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks after five seasons in Denver, Rose and Reggie Williams were both dealt to the Indiana Pacers, and MacLean and Overton both signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.