When Stan Kroenke entered himself into a messy, drawn-out bidding war for ownership of the Nuggets and Avalanche, the vacant land next to Pepsi Center might’ve seemed like the least attractive portion of the potential winnings.
The arena itself was brand-new. The star-studded Avs had christened it on Oct. 13, 1999, with a 2-1 win over the Bruins. And as for the Nuggets, basketball was one of Kroenke’s first loves. His son, Josh, was on the team at the University of Missouri at the time.