KJ Simpson Returns for Nuggets vs Jazz Preseason Game in Boulder

BOULDER – NBA basketball is coming back to Boulder, and this time it brings one of Colorado’s own with it.

The University of Colorado will host a preseason matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 5 p.m. at the CU Events Center, a rare top-level pro return to campus and a homecoming for former Buffaloes star KJ Simpson.

For three seasons, from 2021 to 2024, Simpson drove Colorado’s backcourt, piling up a pair of All-Pac-12 honors and helping steer the program to a standout run in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Now he returns in a different jersey, on a bigger stage, but to a floor that helped launch his rise.

Simpson’s path to this moment has already taken a few sharp turns. Drafted in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, he later landed with the Nuggets on a two-way contract midway through the 2025-26 season. Since then, he has carved out a real role, appearing in 56 NBA games over two seasons and starting 17 of them while averaging 6.7 points, 2.8 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game.

For Colorado fans, those numbers now carry a different weight. They’re not just stats on a screen; they’re the résumé of a former campus star returning as an NBA guard.

This preseason clash will be the fourth time Denver has made the short trip up US36 for an exhibition and the first in a decade. The Nuggets last played in Boulder in 2015, when they faced the Chicago Bulls on the Russell “Sox” Walseth Court. Before that, Colorado welcomed Denver for preseason games against the Portland Trail Blazers in 2007 and 2014.

So this isn’t routine. It’s an occasional visit that turns a college arena into an NBA stage.

The meeting with Utah in Boulder will open Denver’s five-game preseason slate. Once the final buzzer sounds at the CU Events Center, the two teams won’t have to wait long for a rematch. The Nuggets will head to Salt Lake City for another showdown with the Jazz on Tuesday, Oct. 6, giving Simpson and Denver back-to-back looks at a divisional opponent before the real grind begins.

From there, the schedule swings back through Denver and out to Los Angeles. The Nuggets return to Ball Arena on Sunday, Oct. 11, to host the Chicago Bulls, then fly west to face the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome on Wednesday, Oct. 14. They close their preseason against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto Arena on Friday, Oct. 16, a fittingly bright stage to wrap up their tune-up run.

For Boulder, though, the centerpiece is Oct. 4.

NBA-caliber talent on a college court. A franchise centerpiece in Denver tuning up for another season. A young guard who once led the Buffaloes now stepping back into the same building as a pro, with his name on an NBA roster instead of a college lineup card.

Tickets for the Nuggets–Jazz preseason game at the CU Events Center go on sale to the general public on Thursday, Sept. 10. For local fans, it’s a rare chance: see the defending pros, welcome back a former star, and watch where college memories and NBA ambitions collide for one night.