The Nuggets took a rebuild very seriously. After shockingly firing the Head Coach Michael Malone and the General Manager, Calvin Booth, the change came from the top of the organization. It was obvious when the team management chose to let Malone and Booth go during the playoffs that they’re not wasting time. As the 2025 NBA Finals wrapped, the Nuggets made a new appointment of an old face.

Before any potential trades, the change came to the Denver Nuggets’ front office. The face of this overhaul is Ben Tenzer, a name not many knew until before. But he will play a key role in helping Nikola Jokic to the next title.

Who is Ben Tenzer? What’s his role with the Denver Nuggets?

On June 23, 2025, the Nuggets officially promoted Ben Tenzer to Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations. The team also brought in a new EVP of Player Personnel in Jon Wallace. Both roles report to President Josh Kroenke.

“As we sought to re-imagine the Nuggets front office, we are excited to kick off the work for the upcoming season with Ben and Jon leading the way,” Kroenke said in a statement. “Ben did a terrific job leading the organization as the Interim General Manager during a challenging stretch, and it was clear during that time that he had earned the respect of our players, coaches, staff, and his peers.”

It’s a remarkable move that overturns the conventional structure of an NBA team. After Booth and Malone were unceremoniously let go, Tenzer and Wallace’s team under Kroenke replaced the traditional general manager role. A GM is usually on the floor to deal with players while basketball operations are much broader than that. Since this announcement, there is an expectation from Denver fans that Tenzer will bridge the front office and player relations. He does have the resume to back that up.

Ben Tenzer’s Career Timeline

The Nuggets and Ben Tenzer’s relations go back over a decade. He first joined the franchise in 2012 and is in his 17th season with the organization. A native of Los Angeles, Tenzer has found a home in Denver since college. He graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and Southwestern School of Law, and is licensed to practice in California.

His connections to the NBA date to 2006–2010 with the Nuggets, and later with organizations like NBA Summer League and Adidas initiatives.

He spent the last four seasons as Vice President of Basketball Operations when he had to step up in a crisis. The Nuggets sent shockwaves with their late season decision to fire both Malone and Booth during the team’s postseason run. Much focus was put on Jokic’s leadership and Russell Westbrook and Jamal Murray emerging as key pieces in the team. However, the substitutes weren’t to be discounted.

David Adelman was interim head coach while Tenzer went from the front office to the floor to serve as interim GM for the final games of the 2024-25 season. It’s not new to him. He was the GM of Denver’s G-League Affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold for two seasons. While working with Kroenke and the ex-GM Tim Connelly, Tenzer moved up to Director of Basketball Operations. His primary task in this role was overseeing the salary cap and managing the Collective Bargaining Agreement issues.

For Tenzer, as well as Jon Wallace and Josh Kroenke, the immediate order of business was the NBA draft and the free agency that opened days after joining.