By Chalien Dantes

Doug Moe, the fast-break mastermind who turned the Denver Nuggets into one of the most exciting teams of the 1980s, has died at the age of 87. Former player Bill Hanzlik said Moe passed peacefully with his wife Jane by his side.

Moe coached the Nuggets from 1980 to 1990, recording 432 wins, leading the team to nine straight playoff appearances, and earning NBA Coach of the Year honours in 1988.

His run-and-gun style made Denver games a must-watch, with scores regularly soaring into the 120s and 130s long before that became the norm. His record for wins with the franchise stood for decades until it was surpassed in 2024 by Michael Malone.

Denver reached its deepest playoff run under Moe in 1985, advancing to the Western Conference Finals before facing the high-powered Los Angeles Lakers of the Showtime era. Over his career, Moe finished with a 628-529 record, with additional coaching stops in San Antonio and Philadelphia, and later returned to Denver as an assistant from 2003 to 2008.