KJ Simpson Returns: Nuggets and Jazz Preseason in Boulder
BOULDER – The CU Events Center will feel a little different on Sunday, Oct. 4. Same building, same Russell “Sox” Walseth Court. But this time, it’s an NBA floor.
The Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz will open their preseason with a 5 p.m. tip in Boulder, a rare NBA stop on campus and a homecoming showcase for one of Colorado’s recent stars, KJ Simpson.
For three seasons from 2021 to 2024, Simpson drove the Buffaloes’ backcourt and helped drag the program back into the national spotlight. He picked up two All-Pac-12 honors, piled up big nights in big moments, and led Colorado on a stirring run through the 2024 NCAA Tournament that still lingers in the building’s echoes.
Now he returns in different colors, and a different role, but with the same burst that made him a campus favorite.
Simpson’s path to this moment has already taken a few twists. Drafted in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, he shifted west midway through the 2025-26 season, joining Denver on a two-way contract. Since then he has carved out a foothold in the league: 56 NBA games, 17 starts, and averages of 6.7 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game across two seasons.
For a player who built his name in Boulder, the chance to run out of the tunnel again — this time as an NBA guard — will carry its own charge.
This won’t be the first time the Nuggets have taken US36 north for tune‑up duty, but it has been a while. The franchise last played a preseason game at Colorado in 2015, when Denver faced the Chicago Bulls on Walseth Court. Before that, the Buffs hosted Nuggets preseason contests against the Portland Trail Blazers in 2007 and 2014.
The building knows this drill. The stakes don’t. For Denver, this night is the start of their entire preseason rhythm.
Upcoming Preseason Schedule
The matchup with Utah in Boulder opens a five-game slate for the Nuggets. After the curtain-raiser on Oct. 4, Denver heads straight into a rematch with the Jazz in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 6, a quick back‑to‑back look at a divisional rival.
From there, the Nuggets return to more familiar surroundings. Ball Arena hosts Chicago on Sunday, Oct. 11, a mid-preseason checkpoint in front of the home crowd. Then comes a two-stop swing through Los Angeles: the Clippers at Intuit Dome on Wednesday, Oct. 14, followed by the Lakers at Crypto Arena on Friday, Oct. 16, to close out Denver’s exhibition schedule.
For Colorado fans, though, the focus is firmly on that first Sunday. NBA jerseys on a college court. A current Nugget who once wore black and gold. A program that watched Simpson grow now gets to see what he has become.
Tickets for the Nuggets–Jazz preseason game at CU Events Center will go on sale to the general public on Thursday, Sept. 10.
The question now isn’t whether Boulder will show up. It’s how loud the place will get when KJ Simpson’s name is called again in the arena he once owned.
