Though Denver Nuggets forward Paul Millsap has actually played for the Utah Jazz for most of his career, it was during his most recent years with the Atlanta Hawks when he turned into a bonafide All-Star. Millsap spent four solid years with the Hawks before opting to join the Nuggets as a free agent this past summer.
With other major departures in recent offseasons, Millsap wouldn’t have had a great chance to win with the Hawks, making his decision strictly basketball-related. Though the Hawks may be trending downwards, Millsap still has nothing but love for the city and was overwhelmed in his recent return to Philips Arena based on his postgame comments:
“I almost broke down in tears, it means a lot.”
“I had a lot of memories. It’s a great city. There’s a lot of great people here.”
4 years of dedication to a franchise was paid back with the love Atlanta still has for Paul Millsap. He led them during some of their most memorable regular seasons and playoff runs, all were on video during a tribute the Hawks put together for Millsap that was shown during a first-quarter timeout.
The game also marked the Hawks home opener so to be playing a familiar face made the game all the more meaningful. Millsap and his Nuggets were eventually able to pull out a 105-100 victory with the former-Hawk piling on 7 of his 16 points in the final period.
Look for Millsap and frontcourt partner Nikola Jokic to keep the Nuggets rolling as a borderline playoff contender in the West.
