DENVER – Penn State men's basketball alumni and Denver Nuggets General Manager Calvin Booth '98 helped lead the Nuggets to their first NBA title in franchise history Monday night as Denver beat the Miami Heat in game five of the 2023 NBA Finals.
The front office mastermind behind the Nuggets first title run in franchise history, Booth was named General Manager of the Nuggets in July 2020 and signed a multi-year extension in Oct. 2022. The Nuggets earned the top seed in the Western Conference this season before going on to defeat the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat in the NBA Playoffs.
The 1998 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Booth was a three-year starter and two-time captain at Penn State. He holds the school record for career blocked shots (428). He led the Big Ten in blocks in all four years that he played, and his career total ranks second in conference history. After his senior season, Booth became the highest-drafted Nittany Lion in program history when he was taken as the 35th overall pick by the Washington Wizards in the 1999 NBA Draft.
Booth was previously Assistant General Manager with the Nuggets from 2017-2020. After a 10-year NBA playing career, he entered the front office with the New Orleans Pelicans as a scout in 2012 before working with the Minnesota Timberwolves as a scout and Director of Player Personnel from 2013-17.
