DENVER — Hall of Famer Dan Issel played for the Nuggets from 1975 to 1985, before coming back to coach the team in the '90s.
During his playing days, Issel’s toughness and durability earned him a nickname: “The Horse.”
The moniker is fitting for another reason, too.
“I’m in the thoroughbred business,” Issel explained in a sit-down interview with Denver7. “Going to University of Kentucky, you almost have to fall in love with that industry.”
So much so, that Issel says only a couple of moments during his incredible basketball career measure up to the feeling of winning a big horse race.
"No. 1 was when I won the ABA Championship when I was with the Kentucky Colonels,” he recalled. “And No. 2 was coaching the Nuggets when we upset the [No. 1] team [in the 1994 NBA playoffs]. Seattle SuperSonics had the best record in the in the NBA that year.”
Turns out there’s another Nuggets big man and all-time great who loves his horses: Nikola Jokić.
“We're both in the horse business,” said Issel. “Different horses. He has trotters, which is the sulkies. The driver sit in the sulky and steer the horses… They're different kinds of race horses, but they're race horses and I'm sure he gets the same feeling I get when he goes into the winner's circle.”
These days, the Nuggets are in the winner’s circle most nights. The Joker is a big reason why.
“What I love about him is he's just a big, cumbersome guy,” said Issel. “What he's able to do on a basketball court, nobody's ever done before.”
Last month, Jokić passed Issel to become the second-highest scorer in Nuggets franchise history.
“That's what records are for: records are to be broken,” Issel responded. “And I think he did it a lot quicker than I did… He’ll be No. 1 [on the scoring list] before it's all over.”
Issel talked about the difference between playing in today’s NBA as a big man, versus when he was dominating as a player.
“It’s completely different,” he said. “The big men back then used to run to the block and, you know, you'd try to force the ball into the big guy, and he'd try to get a shot four or five feet from the basket. Nobody shoots four or five feet from the basket anymore… To be a big man today, you have to be able to go out on the court and maybe even all the way to the three point line, like Joker here in Denver.”
Issel thinks this year’s Nuggets team is deeper and better than last year’s squad.
“If they get healthy and stay healthy, I think they've got as good a chance to win an NBA championship as anybody,” Issel said.
His message to the team, he says, is the same message he gave to the teams he coached, featuring Dikembe Motumbo, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and LaPhonso Ellis.
“Winning doesn't come from you getting a big contract,” he said. “Are you having endorsements? Are you doing this, are you doing that as an individual? Winning will bring those things, but you have to be concerned about winning first.”
His message to Nuggets fans: Don’t take the team’s success for granted.
“Just embrace it and enjoy it,” he said. “Because I've been around here when the Nuggets were winning 11 and 20 games, and that isn't much fun. So enjoy the time that this team has, because it's not going to last forever.”
Christmas Tip-Off
The Nuggets host the Timberwolves on Christmas Day, with a late tip-off at 8:30 p.m. on Ball Arena.
Nuggets fans can watch the start of the game on The Spot Denver 3, and catch the conclusion of the game on Denver7 after the end of the Broncos-Chiefs Christmas Day game.
Issel says he never played or coached in a Christmas Day game.
“It wasn't something back then that was a big deal on Christmas,” he said. “We played a lot of Christmas Eve games, but the league kind of took Christmas off, I think. But, you know, those eyeballs are out there, so they've kind of loaded Christmas Day up… I like it because it kind of is the unofficial opening of the NBA. I know the NBA is going on for two months, but the NFL is, you know, taking most of the viewers. But it's kind of the official opening of the NBA season. So, I think it's terrific.”
