Denver, CO
Stephen A. Smith does not want to return to Denver for NBA Finals
The Boston Celtics won their 11th straight on Sunday and the Denver Nuggets vaulted into first place mid-afternoon thanks to some help and on the back of their own six-game winning streak.
The NBA seems to be shaping up for an NBA Finals matchup the world just missed out on last year, the Celtics against the Nuggets. And what could be better than finally seeing the leprechauns take on the pickaxes, they’ve easily been the two best teams in basketball the last handful of years. For Stephen A. Smith, a trip to Texas seems more appealing than what would be that incredible series.
“I’m not coming around to that (going to Denver,)” he said on ABC on Sunday after Boston’s win. “I’m holding out for the Clippers, I’m holding out hope for Dallas.”
The clip in question: pic.twitter.com/GAYyfItGUL
— Grace Marlowe (@graceofthecurls) March 4, 2024
ABC has the rights to the NBA Finals, and the whole barrage of buffoons who have said brainless things in the past, descended on the Mile High City last summer only to see the Nuggets go 16-4 en route to the club’s first championship. Later in the summer, ESPN fired two separate members of their main broadcast booth, who possibly not so coincidentally, had been cruel to Jokic in the past. A third ESPN broadcaster who has been highly critical of Jokic in the past was also demoted down the broadcast team depth chart.
It’s Smith’s second time in less than 24 hours that he has been upset by the Nuggets success. The outspoken star of ESPN unloaded on the Lakers after the Nuggets win in Los Angeles on Saturday night. On ABC’s postgame show, he gave almost zero credit to Denver for beating LeBron James’ crew for an eighth-straight time and focused solely on how the Lakers championship aspirations are not being met.
Smith seems to be just another in the long line of ESPN commentators who have begrudged against Denver’s success at best and have straight-up sabotaged it at worst. On top of the gripes about Jokic and the Nuggets now comes some weak hate for the city of Denver.
A city by the way that loves sports so much that it’s the center of the country’s smallest metro area to host a team in all five major North American leagues.
And Colorado certainly seemed good enough for Smith when he sent First Take and every other ESPN show on the road to Boulder for a weekend with Deion Sanders’ Buffaloes last fall. A few months later he’d throw out Deion Sanders’ name as a possible Nick Saban replacement at Alabama. Smith said while discrediting the state and insinuating success in the state wouldn’t be real, “Go ahead and be happy in Boulder, Colorado. God bless you… I was there twice in my life and the only reason for that was him.”
But Smith wouldn’t be the first one to prefer Dallas and other cities over Denver, FIFA did the same when they picked World Cup hosting sites for the 2026 event. Though, in that case, the arena size made sense whereas on the hardwood, the Mavericks failed to make it to the playoffs last year and the Nuggets haven’t been that low since 2018.
A few years later now, we may have the answer to a couple of questions we had earlier in Denver’s build to this title team. Would Jokic need to become an All-Star or even an MVP to get a better whistle? He has done each and the whistle has not followed. And would Jokic’s Nuggets need to win a title to garner league-wide respect? The team accomplished their ring and for a short time had that respect but less than a year later, it’s almost all but been forgotten by the league’s main broadcast partner.
It’s these questions and answers that led to Michael Malone’s legendary vindictive quotes during and after the Nuggets playoff run. And it’s this very attitude by ESPN and their broadcasters that had the entire city of Denver boo-ing a member of the four-letter network’s crew, Lisa Salters, as she handed Jokic his Finals MVP.
Well here the Nuggets are again, back at the top of the West and the NBA’s biggest partner is vocally once more.
Maybe NBA star Kevin Durant said it the best one time on Twitter, “NBA fans don’t like anything about the NBA and it’s weird.”
Students from across the Denver metro are heading to the state Capitol to push for free after-school opportunities statewide.
The proposal would create a “My Colorado Card” program, giving students in sixth through 12th grades access to cultural, arts, recreational and extracurricular activities throughout the state.
For students like Itzael Garcia, Denver’s existing “My Denver Card” made a life-changing difference. He said having access to his local recreation center helped keep him safe.
“We had a couple stray bullets go through our living room window, we had people get shot in front of our house, different things like that,” Garcia said. “Over the summer, being able to go to the public pool, it provided a space for us to all come together. In a way, it acted as a protective factor.”
The My Denver Card provides youth ages 5 to 18 with free access to the zoo, museums and recreation centers. For some, like Garcia, it has served as a safe haven.
That impact is why students involved with the nonprofit FaithBridge helped craft legislation to expand a similar pilot program to communities outside Denver.
“We really just thought that inequity and really distinct opportunity deserts for students was really important for us to correct,” said Mai Travi a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School. Another student echoed that sentiment.
“We have a lot of students in the program that come from Aurora Public Schools, and they don’t have access to the same cultural facilities that we have living here; opportunities that really define our childhood experiences,” said Jack Baker, also a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School.
Vernon Jones, director of the nonprofit FaithBridge, said organizers are still working out logistics but hope to partner with counties across Colorado.
“This is a strategy to work for all of Colorado,” he said.
Denver school board member Marlene De La Rosa said the My Denver Card program has been impactful since its launch in 2013.
“For students that are on free and reduced lunch, the ‘My Denver Card’ can help scholarship some of their fees to participate in the youth sports at the recreation centers,” De La Rosa said.
Last year, 45,000 Denver youth had a card, accounting for 450,000 visits to recreation centers, outdoor pools and cultural facilities, she said.
“I think it is very beneficial,” De La Rosa said.
The Denver program is funded by city tax dollars approved by voters in 2012. The proposed statewide pilot would instead rely on donations and grants.
The bill has cleared its first committee but still needs approval from the full House and Senate.
Denver, CO
Tempers flare during another tightly contested matchup between Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder
The University of Denver will close the Ricks Center for Gifted Children next year as enrollment has fallen in recent years, the college announced this week.
The Ricks Center, which serves gifted children as young as 3 years old, will operate for the 2026-27 academic year before closing, according to a letter DU sent parents on Wednesday.
“The University of Denver has made the difficult decision to close the Ricks Center for Gifted Children at the conclusion of the 2026–2027 academic year,” spokesman Jon Stone said in a statement. “This decision reflects long-term operational and financial considerations and is not a reflection of the school’s quality, leadership, or community.”
The center, which is located on DU’s campus, was started in 1984 as the University Center for Gifted Young Children. The program offers classes to students in preschool through eighth grade, according to the website.
The program, along with other public K-12 schools in the state, has experienced declining enrollment in recent years. The center enrolled 142 students for the 2025-26 academic year, which is down from 200 pupils four years ago.
The center will hold a meeting about the pending closure on March 6 for parents.
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