Yes, I root for a second NBA team; no, I’m not a bandwagon
When I was a little boy, I idolized Allen Iverson. Because I admired the Philadelphia 76ers guard, I fell in love with the team. My passion for the Sixers runs deep; I’m the true definition of a diehard fan.
As a kid, I was so enthralled by the team I would cry when they lost regular season games; to me, the Sixers losing was the end of the world. And then, when I was in the 8th grade, after a soured relationship with the franchise, the Sixers traded Iverson to the Denver Nuggets.
I remember a couple of classmates in my art class asking me if I would jump ship on the Sixers and become a full-fledged Nuggets fan. At the time, I thought it was ridiculous to think I would give up on the Sixers just because Iverson was no longer on the team.
The Sixers are a big part of who I am and, at that point, had been so for nearly a decade. But then something happened; I started following the Nuggets to keep up with Iverson over the next couple of seasons (he spent parts of three seasons with the Nuggets). Iverson was traded to the Detroit Pistons early in the 2008–09 season, and to be honest, that’s when I knew I loved the Denver Nuggets.
I had secretly begun to call them my team, but when Iverson was gone, and it was still important to me to keep up with the team’s games and roster moves, I knew I was hooked. That didn’t change my love for the Sixers in any way. Despite how mediocre or bad they got, I was now emotionally invested in both teams.
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Still, now the Nuggets tugged on my heartstrings too. In college, when blogging became big and digital media began laying its foundation as the new wave for news, I started writing for Nugglove.com, a FanSided network website catered to the Denver Nuggets. Eventually, I moved on to cover the team with Hoops Habit, my first paid opportunity to cover the NBA. For years I felt guilty about having two teams.
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I often was side-eyed or told I had to pick one, and I was ashamed because I felt like I was cheating.
The Nuggets were like a dirty secret, but I was passionate about them. Nonetheless, the Sixers would always be my choice if I had to choose. Still, I don’t have to choose, and I felt uncomfortable with that until the NBA bubble during the pandemic.
The Sixers, hobbled by injuries and poor roster construction, were swept by the Boston Celtics. On the other hand, the Nuggets went on a run to the Western Conference Finals that included overcoming three games to-one deficit in a series against the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers. That run was enjoyable, and I rooted so hard for that team without feeling wrong about being a Sixers fan.
There are plenty of unwritten rules diehard sports fans follow, and being a bandwagon fan is something fanatics hate. But I was too deep almost 15 years after Iverson’s trade turned me into a casual Denver observer.
I found myself being just as invested as I was in the Sixers. While the Sixers undeniably mean more to me as an NBA fan, I love the Nuggets too. I watched this team lose in the first round of the playoffs nine times in 10 years and then miss the playoffs five consecutive times. Still, I watched every game on NBA League Pass regardless. I see who needs more nudges in the standings whenever the Sixers and Nuggets play.
When the Sixers collapsed against Boston in the second round this year, I pouted for weeks and couldn’t muster up enough excitement for the Nuggets because I was so bitter until they matched up with the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals; I said I was not going to let them keep me from enjoying this Nuggets season.
And from that point on, that’s precisely what I did. I pulled my Denver gear out and wore an assortment of yesteryear jerseys, including Iverson, Ty Lawson, and Danilo Gallinari. I enjoyed this team winning the NBA Finals. Granted I don’t think the feeling as sweet as it was would come close to a Sixers but guess what? It was gratifying and fulling because I love the Denver Nuggets!
