Following a stint in Toronto rife with injuries and losses, it's safe to say Bruce Brown may not have enjoyed his time in the city.
At Denver Nuggets media day on Monday, the wing spoke to reporters for the first time since re-joining the team he won an NBA title with and was upfront about how he felt about the last two years of his career.
"I'm just happy to be back in Denver, man," Brown said. "It was a long two years. A lot of losing basketball. I'm trying to win again."
After stints with the Toronto Raptors, New Orleans Pelicans and Indiana Pacers, the swingman re-joined the Nuggets in the off-season on a one-year, $3 million contract, bringing him back to a situation he sees as being more conducive to winning.
Brown spent only one season with the team in 2022-23, but told Andscape's Marc Spears that the city stuck with him, and that "when you find a place that fits you, you don't want to leave."
However, he left the team in free agency in 2023 for the Pacers, signing a two-year, $45 million deal. He was then dealt to the Raptors in the 2023-24 season as part of the Pascal Siakam trade, and the next season was traded to the Pelicans in the Brandon Ingram trade.
The tumultuous time away reinforced his desire for winning basketball, something he didn't get much of a taste of in his two years away from Colorado.
"As soon as I got to Toronto, I thought about coming back to Denver right away," Brown said to Andscape's Marc Spears. "Fast forward to getting traded to New Orleans. Another tough spot. A lot of injuries there. And the whole time I was in New Orleans, I was thinking about the Nuggets."
Over his 52 games with Toronto, Brown averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists over 23.8 minutes a night. He started 11 contests for the side.
Brown isn't the only Nuggets player who thinks his return to the Nuggets will help boost his numbers back up.
"Bruce is back, we won with him. Need to save his career again," Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic joked on Monday.
