The NBA’s Denver Nuggets recently wrapped up a week-long preseason training camp down in La Jolla at UC San Diego. The Nuggets held practice at the RIMAC Arena as the team prepares for the 2022-23 NBA season.

The Nuggets belong to “The Mile-High City,” with its elevation at 5,280 feet above sea level. So, why have they traveled to a city just barely above sea level in the past two years for training camp? UC San Diego’s RIMAC arena has accommodations that are more fitting for the team’s training camp needs.

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone stated “This is amazing. What place has five courts like this? When you have 20 players here, and we got a big staff, we have all these courts. Love the accommodations.”

The Nuggets also have a wide variety of activities to choose from during their stay. In addition to training camp being a time for NBA players to shake off the rust as they ramp up for the upcoming season, it’s an important period in the preseason when players get to build camaraderie with their teammates. The Nuggets take advantage of opportunities for team bonding while spending time in San Diego, even being spotted front row at a Padres game.

As word spread that the Denver Nuggets were in town, many fans waited outside RIMAC Arena. Each day the Nuggets held practice, students lined up behind barricades in hopes of getting a glimpse of players like back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokić and Nuggets star point guard Jamal Murray. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a new addition to the Nuggets roster, even stopped to sign autographs and take photos with a few fans.

After their five-day trip to San Diego for training camp, the Nuggets returned home to Denver on Saturday, October 1st. The Denver Nuggets will open their 2022-23 regular season on October 19.