The Denver Nuggets enter the 2026 season as one of the NBA’s most stable and successful franchises, backed by an owner whose sports portfolio spans four major leagues on two continents.
Stan Kroenke has controlled the Nuggets since 2000, and today his family business, Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, oversees a group that includes the Los Angeles Rams, the Colorado Avalanche, the Colorado Rapids, and the Premier League club Arsenal.
Since the Nuggets captured the franchise’s first NBA championship in 2023 behind Finals MVP Nikola Jokic, questions about ownership stability, future succession, and the team’s rising valuation have only grown louder among Denver fans.
This guide breaks down exactly who owns the Nuggets today, how the ownership structure works, what the team is worth, and whether a sale could ever be on the table.
Table of Contents
Denver Nuggets Ownership Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
| Team | Denver Nuggets |
| League | National Basketball Association |
| Primary Owner | Stan Kroenke |
| Ownership Entity | Kroenke Sports and Entertainment |
| Team President and Governor | Josh Kroenke |
| Owner Since | 2000 |
| Home Arena | Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado |
| Founded | 1967 |
| NBA Championships | One title, won in 2023 |
| Forbes Valuation | Approximately 4.6 billion dollars as of late 2025 |
Denver Nuggets Ownership Structure
The Nuggets are not a publicly traded company or a partnership of dozens of investors like some NBA franchises.
Instead, the team sits inside a tightly held family business built around one man and, increasingly, his son.
Josh Kroenke, Stan’s son, serves as Vice Chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment and as the Nuggets’ Governor and team President, meaning he handles day to day basketball operations, arena decisions, and league relations on behalf of the family.
Denver Nuggets Ownership History Timeline
The team began play as the Denver Rockets in the American Basketball Association, owned by Bill Ringsby and family.
The club joined the NBA after the ABA merger and became the Denver Nuggets under new ownership groups through the following decade.
The franchise passed to COMSAT Video Enterprises, which held the team through much of the late 1980s and 1990s.
Ownership shifted briefly to Liberty Media and businessman Donald Sturm during a short transitional period.
Kroenke purchased the Nuggets, the Avalanche, and what is now Ball Arena for roughly 450 million dollars, forming the foundation of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment.
Josh Kroenke became Vice Chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, expanding his authority over the Nuggets and Avalanche.
Under Kroenke ownership, the Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat to win the franchise’s first NBA title, with Nikola Jokic named Finals MVP.
Forbes values the Nuggets at roughly 4.6 billion dollars, an 18 percent jump from the prior year, as the Kroenke family empire continues to grow.
Who Is Stan Kroenke
Enos Stanley Kroenke built his fortune in commercial real estate before expanding into sports ownership during the 1990s and 2000s.
According to Forbes, his net worth sits above 24 billion dollars as of 2026, making him one of the wealthiest owners in North American sports.
He is married to Ann Walton Kroenke, an heir to the Walmart fortune, which gave him early access to the capital needed to assemble his sprawling sports empire.
Kroenke acquired the Nuggets and the Avalanche together in 2000, then later added the Rams, the Rapids, and a controlling stake in Arsenal.
Because NBA rules historically limited cross ownership visibility across markets, Kroenke technically holds the Nuggets through a separate entity from his NFL holdings, though both ultimately answer to the same family office.
Kroenke Sports and Entertainment Empire
Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, commonly called KSE, functions as the umbrella company for the family’s holdings.
Beyond the Nuggets, KSE operates Ball Arena, Altitude Sports television network, and a portfolio of concert and event venues across Colorado.
According to a Denver Gazette report, Kroenke’s overall sports empire has repeatedly ranked among the most valuable in global sports, driven largely by Arsenal’s rising valuation and the Rams’ Los Angeles market.
The Nuggets remain the flagship basketball asset inside that empire, and Denver’s relatively small market has not stopped the franchise from becoming one of the league’s most respected front offices, largely thanks to continuity in both ownership and basketball leadership.
Is Stan Kroenke A Good Owner
Opinions on Kroenke vary widely depending on which fan base is asked.
St Louis Rams fans still resent the 2016 relocation to Los Angeles, and some Arsenal supporters have criticized his hands off approach to that club.
Nuggets fans, however, generally view his tenure far more favorably.
Since taking over in 2000, Kroenke has kept the Nuggets in Denver, funded a modern arena, and largely let his basketball executives, including team president Josh Kroenke and general manager Calvin Booth, build a roster around homegrown talent like Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
That patient approach delivered the franchise’s first championship in 2023, a rare outcome for a small market team, and it stands as the strongest evidence that Kroenke’s ownership model works in the NBA even if it draws criticism elsewhere in his portfolio.
Are The Nuggets For Sale In 2026
No credible reporting suggests the Denver Nuggets are for sale in 2026.
Kroenke has shown no public interest in divesting any of his major franchises, and the Nuggets’ rising valuation, now roughly 4.6 billion dollars according to Forbes, makes the team an increasingly attractive asset to hold rather than sell.
If anything, the ownership conversation in Denver centers on succession rather than sale.
Josh Kroenke has steadily assumed more operational control over the past several years, and most observers expect him to eventually inherit day to day leadership of the Nuggets and Avalanche while his father remains the controlling shareholder.
Denver Nuggets Forbes Valuation Explained
Forbes places the Nuggets at approximately 4.6 billion dollars in its most recent NBA team valuations, ranking the franchise seventeenth among the league’s thirty teams.
That figure reflects an 18 percent increase from the prior year, fueled by strong local media deals, a new collective bargaining agreement that raised the league’s overall revenue ceiling, and continued success on the court following the 2023 title run.
Team revenue reportedly reached 364 million dollars in a recent season, with operating income around 67 million dollars, figures that place the Nuggets solidly in the middle tier of NBA franchises financially even as their on court performance ranks among the league’s elite.
For broader context on how professional league ownership generally works across sports, see Who Owns the NFL.
Josh Kroenke And The Future Of Nuggets Ownership
Josh Kroenke has spent nearly two decades working inside the family business, and his fingerprints are visible across every major Nuggets decision of the past ten years, from arena upgrades to front office hires.
As Vice Chairman of KSE and Governor of both the Nuggets and Avalanche, he already represents the family at NBA Board of Governors meetings.
While Stan Kroenke has not publicly announced a formal succession timeline, the structure of the family’s holding company suggests Josh will eventually control the Colorado based teams while other Kroenke family interests may manage Arsenal and the Rams separately.
That kind of gradual handoff mirrors how other family run franchises across professional sports have historically transitioned control, similar to patterns explored in Who Owns the New York Yankees.
What The 2023 Championship Meant For The Franchise
The Nuggets’ 2023 title run reshaped how the basketball world views both the team and its ownership.
Denver swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, then defeated the Miami Heat four games to one in the NBA Finals, with Nikola Jokic capturing Finals MVP honors.
According to Wikipedia, it marked the first NBA championship in franchise history since the team joined the league following the 1976 ABA merger.
That title validated Kroenke’s long term, low turnover approach to team building, and it directly contributed to the sharp rise in franchise valuation that followed.
Championship success, combined with Jokic’s continued dominance, remains the single biggest driver of the Nuggets’ growing financial value under the current ownership group.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns the Denver Nuggets in 2026
Stan Kroenke owns the Denver Nuggets through his company Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, a position he has held since acquiring the franchise in 2000.
Does Josh Kroenke own the Nuggets
Josh Kroenke does not hold majority ownership, but he serves as the Nuggets’ Governor and team President and works as Vice Chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, giving him significant operational control.
How much are the Denver Nuggets worth
Forbes valued the Denver Nuggets at approximately 4.6 billion dollars in its most recent NBA team valuations, an 18 percent increase from the previous year.
Are the Denver Nuggets for sale
No, there is no public indication that Stan Kroenke intends to sell the Denver Nuggets.
The family appears focused on an eventual leadership transition to Josh Kroenke rather than a sale to an outside buyer.
I am Jack Neel, a mechanical engineer, researcher, and writer. I created this website to share my knowledge about different brands and products with you. I research the manufacturers behind the brands and provide you with the information you need to make smart buying decisions.