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Team Contact Information:
Denver Nuggets
1000 Chopper Circle
Denver, CO 80204
(303) 405-1100
Basketball Staff:
Owner: E. Stanley Kroenke
President and Governor: Josh Kroenke
Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations: Masai Ujiri
Advisor to the Vice President of Basketball Operations: Pete D'Alessandro
Executive Director of Basketball Administration: Lisa Johnson
Basketball Operations Coordinator: Amy Yuratovac
Executive Vice President, Kroenke Sports: Jim Martin
Sr. Vice President of Finance, Kroenke Sports: Mark Waggoner
Vice President/General Counsel: Stephen Stieneker
For all KSE executives' bios: CLICK HERE
Head Coach: George Karl
Assistant Coach: John Welch
Assistant Coach: Melvin Hunt
Assistant Coach: Chad Iske
Assistant Coach/Advance Scout: Jesse Mermuys
Video Operations/Player Development Coordinator : Ryan Bowen
Player Development Coordinator: Patrick Mutombo
Director of Scouting: Mike Bratz
Scout: Herb Livsey
Scouting Coordinator: Dan Tolzman
Head Video Coordinator: Nate Anderson
Assistant Video Coordinator: Nashion Harper
Athletic Trainer / Travel Coordinator: Jim Gillen
Assistant Coach / Strength and Conditioning: Steve Hess
Assistant Athletic Trainer / Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach: Dan Shimensky
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach: Felipe Eichenberger
Equipment Manager: Sparky Gonzales
Director of Team Security: Bobby Simmons
Director of Media Relations: Tim Gelt
Media Relations Manager: Nick O'Hayre
Director of Team Services: Tim Dixon
Communications Specialist: Aaron Lopez
Media Relations Intern: Nick Frank
Media Relations Intern: Cody Wise
Head Team Physician / Orthopedic Surgeon: Dr. Steve Traina
Team Ophthalmologist: Dr. Gary Jamell
Internal Medicine: Dr. Saurabh Mangalik
Team Cardiologist: Mike Ptasnik
Team Dentist: Dr. Steve Barker
Massage Therapist: Margo Osborne
BASKETBALL OPERATIONS BIOS
E. Stanley Kroenke
Owner & Governor, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, LLC
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The Nuggets have returned to prominence with a remarkable turnaround this decade and are one of only three NBA teams to make the playoffs in each of the past eight seasons, including a remarkable run to the 2009 Western Conference Finals.
Since taking control of the Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and Pepsi Center, Mr. Kroenke has been widely recognized as one of the top owners in professional sports, as well as a strong and committed leader throughout the community.
Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, Mr. Kroenke’s Denver-based company, also owns Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids and the National Lacrosse League’s Colorado Mammoth. His teams have hosted the 2001 NHL All-Star Game, the 2004 and 2009 NLL All-Star Games, the 2005 NBA All Star Game and the 2007 MLS All-Star Game, bringing some of the world’s most famous athletes to Denver.
KSE’s dedication to success has been evidenced by the consistent playoff runs of its teams. The Avalanche has made the playoffs in 12 of its 15 seasons in Denver and defeated the New Jersey Devils in June 2001 to win the Stanley Cup, the second in franchise history. The Mammoth has been a playoff participant in seven of its nine seasons and won the NLL championship in 2006. The Rapids have also achieved postseason success appearing in the playoffs in six of nine seasons, including the MLS Cup in 2010.
In February 2007, Mr. Kroenke purchased a significant stake in Arsenal FC. He is the controlling shareholder of London’s storied football club. The initial investment came months after KSE and the Colorado Rapids formed a landmark marketing and strategic partnership with the famed Barclays Premier League club. The relationship has been further strengthened by KSE’s acquisition of 83 percent shareholding in Arsenal Broadband Limited. In September 2008, Mr. Kroenke was appointed to the Arsenal board as a non-executive director.
In August 2010, National Football League owners unanimously approved Mr. Kroenke’s bid to become principal owner of the St. Louis Rams. A native Missourian, Mr. Kroenke played a vital role in bringing the NFL back to St. Louis in 1995. Prior to becoming the majority owner of the Rams, he was the minority owner of the team. With his real estate development expertise, Mr. Kroenke was instrumental in the building of Rams Park, now known as the Russell Training Center.
Under Mr. Kroenke’s direction, KSE completed three of the company’s most ambitious projects to date. On April 7, 2007 KSE opened the largest soccer-specific complex in the world, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The state-of-the-art sports facility on more than 160 acres in Commerce City, Colo., seats 18,000 fans for field sports and up to 27,000 for concerts. The award-winning field at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park has been heralded as “one of the finest pitches in the world” by numerous international players and coaches who have played at the complex.
In November 2008, the stadium hosted Colorado’s first-ever World Cup qualifier between USA and Guatemala. Dick’s Sporting Goods Park also includes 24 surrounding playing fields for youth and adult recreational sports such as soccer, lacrosse and rugby. The complex anchors the 917-acre Prairie Gateway site that is a public-private partnership between KSE and Commerce City. The site is host to the Commerce City municipal hall, retail facilities, offices for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and a visitors’ center for the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge. The project has created hundreds of jobs in the community and is expected to generate thousands more as the growth continues.
Altitude Sports & Entertainment, a 24-hour regional television network began operation in September 2004, becoming the new television home for the Nuggets and Avalanche. Altitude also features other professional, collegiate and high school sporting events, as well as outdoors and lifestyle programming, entertainment and community interest coverage throughout the Rocky Mountain West.
TicketHorse became the official and exclusive ticket provider for both primary and secondary ticket sales for all KSE properties in July 2009.
One of KSE’s primary focuses has been the Colorado community and civic causes. More than $15.5 million in contributions have been made to Colorado charities through Kroenke Sports Charities and the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche Community Funds.
KSE purchased the Paramount Theatre, a historic landmark in downtown Denver, in July 2002. The venerable venue remains a vibrant, multi-event facility where Denver residents and visitors enjoy a wide variety of entertainment ranging from classic concerts to family shows, dance productions, comedic performances and charitable events each year. Pepsi Center and the Paramount Theatre are home to more than 250 events annually including world renowned concerts such as Madonna, Celine Dion, U2 and Lady Gaga.
Peak Entertainment, LLC, a joint venture of Kroenke Sports Enterprises and AEG Live Rocky Mountains, opened 1STBANK Center together in March 2010. The multi-use arena accommodates up to 6,500 people for a range of events located in Broomfield, Colo.
Mr. Kroenke’s enthusiasm and vision ensure that Denver will continue to be the top entertainment destination in the Rocky Mountain region for generations to come. Local media outlets have consistently named Mr. Kroenke one of the most significant people in the Denver arts and entertainment community, saying “No other person entertains more people more often.”
In August of 2008, Pepsi Center played host to the Democratic National Convention. Tens of thousands of delegates, journalists, volunteers and patrons descended on Denver and the Pepsi Center for the Convention. The landmark event ranks as one of the most important in KSE and Colorado history.
Millions of people around the world watched the Convention, which city officials estimated boosted the local economy by nearly $270 million.
Mr. Kroenke is chairman and owner of The Kroenke Group, a private real estate investment and development company with properties located throughout the United States and Canada.
Over the past two decades, he has built a reputation as one of the nation’s leading real estate developers. One of the largest ranch property owners in North America, Mr. Kroenke’s ownership stakes also includes the Screaming Eagle and Jonata vineyards.
Mr. Kroenke’s current and former board and trustee memberships include Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Central Bank Holding Company, Boone County National Bank, Community Investments Partnership of St. Louis, the College of the Ozarks, and the Missouri Basketball Hall of Fame. He is a member of St. Louis’ Civic Progress, which provides support and leadership for various community improvements that promote economic development, education and quality of life. In February 2009, Mr. Kroenke was enshrined into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
Mr. Kroenke holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Missouri. He and his wife, Ann, have a daughter, Whitney, an award winning documentary film producer; and a son, Josh, Governor and President of the Denver Nuggets and Governor of the Colorado Avalanche.
Josh Kroenke
Team President and Governor
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Since joining the Nuggets as Vice President of Team Development in 2007, Kroenke has been involved in every aspect of day-to-day operations while overseeing the most successful four-year stretch in team history. Denver has won at least 50 games and captured two Northwest Division titles during that span.
Working closely with Nuggets Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri, Kroenke helped orchestrate one of the biggest trades in franchise history on Feb. 22, 2011. The three-team, 13-player deal protected Denver’s long-term future while keeping the Nuggets among the NBA elite. After the trade, the Nuggets went 18-7 and clinched their eighth straight playoff berth.
In addition to his role with the Nuggets, Kroenke works closely with KSE’s executive committee on multiple business operation issues, ranging from finance to marketing.
After graduating from the University of Missouri with a degree in financial management, he completed a six-month internship with the NBA’s League Office working in its Player Development Department. Upon finishing his internship, Kroenke worked as an underwriter for Lehman Brothers in their Global Real Estate Group where he assisted with the debt underwriting and securitization of numerous commercial real estate transactions.
Kroenke was rated a Top-50 player nationally in high school, according to several scouting services, and helped lead the Rock Bridge High School Boys’ basketball team to a No. 1 ranking in the state of Missouri as a junior. Kroenke received a full basketball scholarship to the University of Missouri, where he was named Academic All-Big XII First Team and selected team captain as a junior and senior.
Away from the Nuggets and Avalanche, Kroenke is involved in several charitable entities, including the Todd Peglow Memorial Scholarship Fund at the University of Missouri. He is also a major supporter of the Playing For Change Foundation, which is operated by his sister, Whitney, and benefits children worldwide through the building of schools that specialize in the teaching of music and arts.
Masai Ujiri
Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations
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In his first campaign, Ujiri worked closely with team president Josh Kroenke to execute a plan to protect the team’s long-term future while keeping the Nuggets among the NBA elite. Despite major roster changes, the Nuggets went 18-7 after the All-Star break to reach 50 wins for the fourth straight year and clinch a playoff spot for the eighth year in a row.
Ujiri recently oversaw his first NBA Draft with the Nuggets on June 23, 2011. Denver held the 22nd overall selection but added a blend of both youth and experience by the time the night was finished.
Before coming to Denver, Ujiri spent the previous three years with the Toronto Raptors after joining the team as director of global scouting in 2007. He was elevated to assistant general manager, player personnel, in 2008 and worked closely with team president and general manager Bryan Colangelo. His duties included overseeing Toronto’s scouting and personnel department, talent assessment and related data management.
Ujiri, who was named to his current position on Aug. 27, 2010, is no stranger to Denver after working as a Nuggets scout from 2003-07. He was the team’s director of international scouting during the 2006-07 season. Prior to joining the Nuggets, he worked as an international scout for the Orlando Magic.
A native of Nigeria, Ujiri brings tremendous knowledge and extensive global connections to the Nuggets front office. He played professionally in Europe for six years, with stops in Belgium, Germany, England, Greece and Finland. He has scouted all over the world, including Europe, Africa, Asia and South America.
Ujiri also has managed and coached the Nigerian junior and senior national teams.
Along with former Nuggets great Dikembe Mutombo, Ujiri has been tireless in his efforts to promote and develop the game of basketball throughout Africa. He is the founder of the Giants of Africa Foundation, which launched the Top 50 and Bigman camps in his homeland. Ujiri also has served as the director of the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program since 2002.
Ujiri was introduced to basketball at age 13 and quickly fell in love with the game. He went on to play at Bismarck State College and Montana State University-Billings (formerly Eastern Montana College).
Pete D'Alessandro
Assistant to the Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations
Pete D’Alessandro is currently in his second season with the Denver Nuggets, serving as advisor to the executive vice president of basketball operations, Masai Ujiri. In his current role, D’Alessandro assists in the development of all basketball operations strategies as well as the management of day-to-day basketball activities with a focus on trade and free agent negotiations, salary cap management and collective bargaining agreement rules and regulations.
From 2004-2008 D’Alessandro worked for the Golden State Warriors. Initially hired prior to the 2004-2005 season as director of basketball operations, he was promoted to assistant general manager shortly after the 2006-07 season.
D’Alessandro began his career in basketball from 1986-90 when, as a student at St. John’s University, he served as video coordinator for the men’s basketball team under hall of fame coach Lou Carnesecca. D’Alessandro graduated from Nova Southeastern University School of Law in May of 1994 and was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1995. From 1994-96, he briefly entered the political arena, ultimately serving as the campaign manager for New York State Congressman Rick Lazio’s successful re-election to the House of Representatives.
After his stint in politics, D’Alessandro returned to the sports world in 1997, joining Professional Management Associates, a Washington, DC-based sports agency. As vice president at PMA for seven years, he represented both NBA and International basketball players before being hired in 2004 by then Warriors basketball chief and current hall of famer Chris Mullin.
D’Alessandro currently lives in Denver with his wife, Leah and their two-year-old daughter Kate.
BASKETBALL STAFF
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In just six-plus seasons, Karl’s 328 wins are already the second-most by a coach in Denver’s NBA history, while his .617 winning percentage is unmatched. His run of seven-straight postseason appearances is the second-longest in Nuggets history to Doug Moe’s nine-consecutive (1982-90) and his four-straight 50-win seasons is the longest such streak in team history. Denver joins Dallas and San Antonio as the only NBA teams to have made eight-straight playoff appearances.
The seventh-winningest coach in NBA annals, Karl has amassed 1,036 career wins in his 23-plus seasons in the NBA, including a streak of 19-straight non-losing seasons – tied for second-longest, along with Pat Riley (19, 1981-82 to 2001-02), and trailing only Phil Jackson (20, 1989-90-present) in NBA history. In fact, of the six other men to have won 1,000+ career games, only three: Jackson, Riley and Jerry Sloan have a better winning percentage. He has also notched 75 career playoff victories, good for 12th all-time. He has earned 10 Coach of the Month honors, which is tied for the fourth-most in NBA history.
Karl’s 2009-10 season was cut short because of throat and neck cancer. He made the diagnosis public two days after the All-Star Game but coached the Nuggets for three weeks while going through radiation and chemotherapy treatment. Karl did not return to the bench after a March 16 victory over Washington, and Denver went 7-7 in its final 14 regular-season games and lost to the Utah Jazz in six games during the first round of the playoffs.
During the 2008-09 season, Karl guided the Nuggets to arguably the best season in team history. With an overall record of 54-28, Denver claimed the Northwest Division title and tied the team record for most wins in a season. In the 2009 NBA Playoffs, Karl coached the No. 2 seeded Nuggets to their first Western Conference Finals appearance since the 1984-85 season before falling to the eventual NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
In 2007-08, Karl led the Nuggets to the third-highest win total in team history with 50 wins. In 2006-07, Karl led the Nuggets to a 45-37 mark, including a franchise-record 22 road wins. The Nuggets finished with the sixth-best record in the Western Conference - their highest finish since 1988-89 (sixth). In 2007-08, Karl led the Nuggets to the third-highest win total in team history with 50 wins.
In 2005-06, Karl guided an injury-riddled Nuggets team to 44 wins and a Northwest Division title – the club’s first division crown since 1987-88. He became the fifth coach in NBA history to lead at least three different teams to division titles (also Milwaukee and Seattle).
Karl has had great success ever since taking the helm of the Nuggets in 2005. In his first season in Denver, 2004-05, Karl engineered one of the greatest turnarounds in NBA history. When assuming head coaching duties in January, the Nuggets were 17-25 and stood in 11th place in the Western Conference – a full six games out of the playoffs. Karl led the Nuggets to a 32-8 (.800) record and a seventh seed in the postseason, while that winning percentage remains the best in NBA history for a midseason coaching replacement that coached at least 20 games. He was named Western Conference Coach of the Month for February and March and finished fifth in voting for NBA Coach of the Year during the 2004-05 season.
Prior to joining the Nuggets, Karl served as head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks (1998-03), the Seattle SuperSonics (1991-98), the Golden State Warriors (1986-88) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (1984-86). During his coaching career, Karl’s players have made 27 All-Star appearances, earned 16 All-NBA recognitions, made 11 All-Defensive teams and have won two Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Karl’s foundation, Friends of Hoop, annually hosts King Holiday Hoop Festivals – high school basketball tournaments held in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King – in Seattle and Milwaukee.
A two-time cancer survivor, Karl is heavily involved with the American Cancer Society and the Prostate Cancer Education Council. He also has donated tickets to each home game for less fortunate families since his arrival in Denver.
He has three children – daughters Kelci and Kaci and son Coby, who was on Denver's roster for the final two games of the 2009-10 season. In 2007-08, Coby and George became just the third father/son duo to face each other in an NBA game and the first to do so in a postseason game as Denver took on Coby’s Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2008 NBA Playoffs.
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Welch joined the Nuggets after two seasons as an assistant coach/workout coach for the Memphis Grizzlies. Prior to his arrival in Memphis, he spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at Fresno State, serving under head coach Jerry Tarkanian, one of the winningest coaches in NCAA history.
Welch joined Fresno State in 1995 and helped the Bulldogs to two consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, six consecutive 20-win seasons and seven straight postseason appearances. In 2000-01, he helped the Bulldogs to a 26-7 record, the second-most wins in school history; a school-record tying 13-game winning streak; and a Top 25 ranking during the second half of the season.
Welch, began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for three years including the 1987 season when the UNLV Rebels advanced to the NCAA Final Four. When the Rebels’ season ended, Welch also served as a player and coach in the New Zealand Professional Basketball League from 1986-89. Welch returned to the collegiate ranks as an assistant coach at Long Beach State where he helped Head Coach Seth Greenburg guide the 49ers to a two-year record of 37-20 and a berth in the 1995 NCAA Tournament.
As a player, Welch spent three seasons at the University of Nevada, Reno and transferred to UNLV for his senior year. Welch played under Tarkanian for one year when the Rebels compiled a 33-5 record and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
Welch was born on Feb. 17, 1963 in Portland, Maine. He attended Ranch High School in Las Vegas where he was an All-State selection. He and his wife, Jean, have a daughter, Haley, and a son, Riley.
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While in Cleveland, Hunt helped lead the Cavaliers to one of the most successful stretches in franchise history. In 2008-09, the Cavs won a franchise and NBA-best 66 games, while Hunt and the coaching staff earned the honor of coaching the East Conference in the 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix. Cleveland also enjoyed great postseason success during Hunt’s tenure, reaching the 2007 NBA Finals, the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals and four consecutive appearances in the Eastern Conference Semifinals from 2007-10.
Before joining the Cavaliers staff, Hunt spent one season (2004-05) as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers and five seasons with the Houston Rockets (1999-2004). While with the Rockets, he served two years as a video coordinator/scout and two years as an assistant coach before spending his final year as the team’s college and international scout.
Prior to working in the NBA, Hunt coached on both the collegiate and high school levels. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Temple High School (TX) before moving to the college ranks where he was the lead assistant coach at Incarnate Word University in San Antonio.
Hunt earned his Bachelor’s degree in business administration and a Master’s degree in education from Baylor University where he spent four years on the basketball team. He was a four-year letterman and a three-year starter for the Bears from 1987-91 and helped lead his team to both the NCAA and NIT tournaments. Following his graduation, Hunt played professional basketball in the Caribbean and Mexico.
A native of Tallulah, Louisiana, Hunt has spent time in Asia, Lithuania and South Africa during recent offseasons as a part of the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders – the global basketball development and community outreach program that uses the sport of basketball to influence positive social change.
Hunt (born Dec. 15, 1969) and his wife, Carmen, have a daughter, Braya, and a son, Miles.
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Iske began working with the Nuggets on the ground level, serving as an intern in the scouting department for the 1999-00 season. From there he worked as the team’s video coordinator and scouting coordinator, began advanced scouting in 2004, and was promoted to assistant coach in 2008. He also scouted the CBA and D-League during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.
A graduate of Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora (CO), Iske has volunteered as a coach in the school’s high school and junior high basketball programs. He also served as an assistant coach for basketball and baseball at Bishop Seabury Academy in Lawrence, Kan. and helped start the Kansas Angels summer high school basketball program in 1997 – where he was the primary fund raiser and assistant coach in ’97-98.
Iske, 35, graduated from the University of Kansas in 1999 with a degree in sports management. He currently resides in Denver.
Jesse Mermuys
Assistant Coach/Advance Scout
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Mermuys joined the Denver Nuggets as assistant video coordinator prior to the 2008-09 campaign. After one season in that role, he became the Nuggets advance scout where he is responsible for scouting upcoming opponents throughout the league.
A graduate of the University of Arizona, Mermuys served as director of basketball operations for the Wildcats from 2006-08.
Before his time with Arizona, Mermuys was the video coordinator at New Mexico State University and was an assistant basketball coach at Southern Utah University during the 2005-06 season. While at Southern Utah, Mermuys handled the Thunderbirds’ video and scouting efforts, as well as his on-court coaching duties.
He got his start in coaching as the head freshman and varsity assistant coach at Tucson’s Salpointe Catholic High School from 2001-03. During the 2003-04 campaign, Mermuys was an assistant at Pima Community College.
Mermuys also served as the camp director for the Luke Walton/Richard Jefferson basketball camp, and was responsible for creating, organizing and running all aspects of the camp. He was also the program director and head coach of the Team Walton AAU program since 2004.
Mermuys played at Glendale Community College in Glendale, Ariz., from 1999-2001 and later earned his undergraduate degree in business management in 2004. He currently resides in Denver with his wife Michelle.
Ryan Bowen
Video Operations/Player Development Coodinator
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Bowen played in 120 games as a Hawkeye (1994-98), scoring 1,090 points (9.1 avg.), which ranks 33rd at Iowa and collected 804 rebounds (6.7 avg.). He is Iowa's career field goal percentage leader, shooting at a 57.5% clip (397-690). Bowen, who was a two-time all-Big Ten performer, is Iowa's single-season record holder in steals per game, averaging 2.8 per contest in 1998. The Fort Madison, Iowa, native also holds the school record for career steals (208) and ranks fourth in career blocks (124) and eighth in career rebounding (804).
Bowen, who was the 1997 Chris Street Award winner, led the Hawkeyes in rebounding (9.1), steals (1.9) and field goal percentage (.553) his junior campaign. As a senior, he averaged 14.4 points and led the team in rebounding (8.7), steals (2.5), blocks (1.3) and field goal percentage (.603).
Bowen concluded an 11-year run playing professionally overseas and in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 6-9, 225-pound forward was a second round draft pick of the Denver Nuggets in the 1998 NBA Draft. He began his career in Turkey (1998-99) before playing five seasons with the Nuggets (1999-2004). Bowen was then picked up by the Houston Rockets, playing two seasons (2004-06). After recovering from hip surgery, he played a partial season in Israel (2007). He then signed with the New Orleans Hornets, playing two seasons (2007-09). Bowen competed in one game for the Oklahoma City Thunder this past November before retiring.
Bowen and his wife, Wendy, have three children, a daugher Isabel (10) and sons Benjamin (seven) and Zachary (six). Wendy was a UI Dance Team member for three years.
Patrick Mutombo
Player Development Coodinator
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Prior to beginning his coaching career, Mutombo spent six years playing professionally in Italy, Greece and the NBA Development League. He played four seasons on four different teams in the top league in Italy, one season for Trikala 2000 in Greece's top league, and the 2009-10 season with Bakersfield in the NBDL.
Mutombo is one of the most decorated players in Metro State history, following his four-year career (1999-2003) that included two national championships.
He was named second-team All-America in 2002 and was a two-time first team All-RMAC honoree. He ranks second in school history in free throw percentage (.853), fifth in field goals made (571) and ninth in points scored (1,360), and holds the single season record for field goals made, draining 267-of-511 (.523) during his senior season in 2002-03. Mutombo was inducted into the Metro State Athletics Hall of Fame in February, 2011.
Mutombo graduated from Metro State in 2003 with a degree in political science.
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In addition, he serves as the team’s travel coordinator and works closely with Strength and Conditioning Coach Steve Hess to monitor the Nuggets’ workout regimen and diet.
Gillen traveled across town in 1991 to join the Nuggets after serving as the assistant athletic trainer for the Denver Broncos from ’87-90. During his tenure with the Broncos, Gillen accompanied the team to three Super Bowls. He and Broncos Head Athletic Trainer Steve Antonopulos were named the NFL’s Athletic Training Staff of the Year in ’87.
Prior to joining the Broncos, Gillen was an athletic trainer for the AMI/Denver Broncos Sports Medicine Clinic in 1987 and served as the head athletic trainer at Overland High School from ’82-86 and Aurora Central High School from ’80-82.
After receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Fort Hays State (Kan.), Gillen was the head athletic trainer at Roosevelt High School in San Antonio before moving to Denver.
A member of the National Athletic Trainers Association and the American College of Sports Medicine, Gillen is a past president of the Colorado Athletic Trainers Association. He is also past Chairman of the NBA Athletic Trainers Association and is a recipient of the National Athletic Trainers Association 25 Year Award.
Gillen has served as an athletic trainer at three NBA All-Star Games, working the 2005 (Denver) and 2003 (Atlanta) contests as the head trainer for the Western Conference and the 1995 game in Phoenix as an assistant.
He was honored with the Joe O’Toole NBA Athletic Trainer of the Year Award in 2002 and 2008 and was an athletic trainer for USA Basketball at the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis. In 2010 Gillen was inducted into the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame, which represents the states of Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona.
Gillen established the Excellence in High School Athletic Training Award in 2003 given annually to the top high school athletic training program in Colorado and Wyoming. The recipient receives a monetary donation for supplies and equipment and is recognized at a Nuggets home game. In addition, each year a “Comeback Athlete of the Year” and the school that the athlete attends are rewarded for outstanding rehab.
A native of Meade, Kan., his family includes wife Terri, daughter Rachel; daughter Jamee Ulitzky, her husband Josh and their children Joey, Jordan and Julia; son J.D., his wife Emily and their daughters Alexsis and Aspen; and daughter Amanda Lloyd and her husband J and their daughter Karaline.
Steve Hess
Assistant Coach / Strength & Conditioning
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In his 15th season with the Nuggets, Hess creates and administers individual workout programs for each player throughout the entire year. He spends the majority of the off-season working with Nuggets players and other professional athletes, overseeing every aspect of their workout programs. He pushes them to reach their peak physical condition.
Hess is a co-owner of FORZA fitness and performance center and is one of 12 trainers worldwide who sits on the Under Armour training council. He is also the official spokesperson for the National Sports Center for the Disabled and is also a member of NBA Team Fit.
In addition, Hess has been featured on NBA Inside Stuff, All-Access with Ahmad Rashad, NBATV and The Eating Network. He also has his own workout segment on the Altitude Sports & Entertainment network.
A graduate of Ithaca College (N.Y.), Hess received a master’s degree in physical education with an emphasis on sports medicine and a bachelor’s degree in exercise science fitness and cardiac rehabilitation in ‘91.
Hess lives to obtain peak performance in his own life. His wife, Alicia, is also a conditioning expert and the couple spends their time chasing their two sons, Jordan and Korey, around their home.
Dan Shimensky
Assistant Athletic Trainer / Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach
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Throughout the year, Shimensky assists both Head Athletic Trainer/Travel Coordinator Jim Gillen and Assistant Coach/Strength & Conditioning Steve Hess. Some of his duties include: treatment and rehabilitation of injuries, recording of player injuries, pre-participation taping and stretching of players, working closely with team physicians, strengthening and conditioning of players and pre-season physicals.
A graduate of Central Washington University, Shimensky received his master’s degree in exercise science. While at CWU, he was the graduate assistant athletic trainer for football and men’s basketball.
Prior to his tenure at Central Washington, Shimensky completed his undergraduate work at the University of Utah, receiving his degree in exercise science with an emphasis in athletic training. He worked on the training staff for football and women’s gymnastics.
While at Utah, Shimensky also had the opportunity to be involved in numerous internships with several NBA organizations including the Miami Heat (Summer, 2003), the Nuggets (Fall, 2004) and the Seattle Sonics (Summers of 2004, 05, 06).
In addition to being a certified Athletic Trainer, Shimensky has obtained his corrective exercise specialization (CES) and performance enhancement specialization (PES) certifications through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
In 2009, Shimensky was fortunate and honored to be selected as Head Athletic Trainer for the USA men’s U-19 Men's FIBA World Championships. Held in Auckland, New Zealand; Shimensky helped Team USA capture the gold medal, an accomplishment that had not been achieved since 1991.
During this past summer, Shimensky was brought back to USA basketball as Head Athletic Trainer for the men’s U-16 national team for the FIBA Americas Championship. Hosted in Cancun, Mexico; Shimensky was able to obtain a second gold medal as team USA finished with a perfect 5-0 record.
Shimensky and his beautiful wife Heather, currently reside with their dog Suki (a.k.a “The Sooks”) outside of Denver.
His father, Mike, was a longtime NBA Athletic Trainer.
Sparky Gonzales
Equipment Manager
Sparky Gonzales enters his 13th year as equipment manager, but his history with the Nuggets goes back much further than that. Gonzales enters his 35th year of service with the Nuggets, having served in a variety of capacities.
In 1977, Gonzales joined the Nuggets performing part-time locker room and bench security. He served as equipment manager from 1989-91. From 1992 until his hire in 2001, Gonzales assisted the Nuggets media relations department as a jack-of-all-trades on game nights. As equipment manager, Gonzales orders and maintains all of the team’s equipment at home and on the road.
Gonzales, a Denver native, and his wife Tammy were married in 1998. He enjoys fishing, camping and golfing in his spare time.
Lisa Johnson
Executive Director, Basketball Administration
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In her current role as Executive Director of Basketball Administration, Lisa handles day-to-day operations of the office, coordinates team travel and works with the other Kroenke Sports departments in scheduling and maintaining the player appearance program.
In her spare time, Lisa has fun spending time with her husband Jim, traveling, enjoying the outdoors, music, art and flower gardening. The Johnsons reside in Centennial with Gracie the cat.
