Nuggets

Nene,

• He was married to Lauren Prothe on February 14, 2009
• Lauren’s sister, Ashley, is engaged to former CSU basketball star and current 76ers’ Jason Smith
• He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in January, 2008.
• Originally drafted by the New York Knicks in 2002 and was traded along with Marcus Camby for Antonio McDyess

Kenyon Martin                 

• First pick on 2001 Draft and is the last senior to be selected with the top pick
• Chosen to the All-Star Game in 2004 with New Jersey
• His half-brother Richard Roby played for CU
• Had microfracture surgery in both his knees
• He struggled with stuttering when he was younger

Carmelo Anthony

• Engaged to MTV VJ La La Vasquez
• Melo’s father was Puerto Rican and died when he was two-years-old, Vasquez is also of the Puerto Rican descent
• He won a National title during his freshman year at Syracuse. He led the team in scoring, rebounding, minutes played, field goals made and free throws made and attempted.
• Led Denver to its first playoff series in over 10 years, and with him on the team the Nuggets have made the playoffs since

Arron Afflalo                     

• He was drafted with the 27^th pick 2007
• Teammates with Chauncey Billups in Detroit
• Traded to Denver with Walter Sharpe for a second round pick in 2011

Chauncey Billups

• Is the most heralded player to ever come out of Colorado
• Played High School ball at George Washington High School and college at CU.
• Drafted by Boston Celtics with the third pick in 2007, traded to Toronto Raptors halfway through the season for veteran point guard Kenny Anderson
• Traded to Denver after his rookie year for Bobby Jackson and Denver’s first pick in 1999 (which ended up being the fifth pick and Jonathan Bender). Was later dealt in 1998 with teammate Ron Mercer (who was also drafted with the Celtics in 2007 with the sixth pick) to Orlando for Tariq Abdul-Wahad.
• Was awarded NBA Finals MVP in 2004 with the Detroit Pistons.
• Has a younger brother Rodney Billups, who played basketball at Denver University.

Chris Andersen                

• Attended Blinn Junior College for one season
• Was the first player drafted in the NBDL Draft.
• First player called up from the NBDL.
• Scored 17 points in his third NBA game.
• Played in the Chinese Basketball League, before joining the NBA.
• Competed in the Slam Dunk Contest in 2004 and 2005
• Was suspended from the NBA for violating the league drug policy.

Al Harrington

• Drafted with the 25th pick out of St. Patrick High School by the Indiana Pacers
• Has played on four different squads
• He helped the Indiana Pacers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2000

Renaldo Balkman

• Drafted by the New York Knicks with the 20th pick after having a strong showing in the pre-draft workouts.
• Traded to Denver for Tauren Green and Bobby Jones

Joey Graham

• Has a twin brother Stephen that plays for Charlotte
• Transferred to Oklahoma State after spending two years at Central Florida

JR Smith                              

• Has a younger brother, Chris, who just transferred to Louisville after spending two years at Manhattan University.
• -His youngest brother, Dimitrius, is a standout defensive tackle at Jackson Memorial High School.
• Was in YoungMoney’s music video BedRock.
• Competed in the Slam Dunk contest in 2005 and 2009.

Ty Lawson                          

• Won a National Title with North Carolina in 2009.
• Originally drafted by Minnesota and then dealt to Denver.
• He attended the same high school (Oak Hill Academy) as Carmelo Anthony and same college as Nuggets’ coach George Karl (UNC).

Shelden Williams

• Atlanta Hawks drafted him with the fifth pick in the draft.
• Married to Candace Parker.
• Played in the NBA Finals with the Boston Celtics this last year.

Anthony Carter

• Undrafted out of Hawaii in 1998
• Nuggets signed him from a team Italy in 2007
• Him and Allen were teams in Miami between 2001 to 2003