Nuggets' Julian Strawther Announces He's Changing His Number

The Denver Nuggets have one player on their roster who's switching their uniform number from what he's been used to for the past three seasons.

That's none other than Julian Strawther, who's set to change up his look heading into his fourth-year pro.

The news was announced on the Nuggets' socials when the team sent Strawther a DM–– hinting that Strawther would be changing from No. 3 to No. 1, in which he ended up confirming in a reply.

"Nothin too special, wanted a fresh start," Strawther wrote.

New number on the block 1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/Z5NleSVQc7
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) July 21, 2026

Strawther also attached a picture of himself from his AAU days back at California United wearing that No. 1 jersey, showing that while a fresh start, he'll be rocking a bit of a throwback set of numbers for himself.

So that's a pretty clear confirmation from the man himself. Strawther will be rocking No. 1 next season, and will be the 18th player in Nuggets history to do so.

Some of the History Behind Strawther's New No. 1

Strawther, in the process, will be joining a list of pretty solid names to have done so throughout the Nuggets' time in the NBA.

Among those to have worn the No. 1 includes big names such as Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf for two seasons in 1995-96, J.R. Smith for three seasons from 2007 to 2009, Chauncey Billups for a couple of years 2010-11, and more recently, Michael Porter Jr., who had worn it himself from 2020, up until he was traded in 2025 to the Brooklyn Nets.

As for the most recent player to have worn Strawther's new number, that was Curtis Jones, who was signed onto a two-way deal with Denver this past season, but has since moved on to the Boston Celtics, where he was signed on during the Summer League.

So with him out of the frame, that left Strawther room to get a new start for himself.

Nov 8, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) defends on Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther (3) in the second half at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

And for Strawther, while he did have a brief period within his time playing in the AAU ranks wearing No. 1, he hasn't had much time wearing those digits outside of then.

While he was playing with Gonzaga in the college ranks, he was well-known for his No. 0 that he carried for all three years that he played there. When he was selected as a first round pick to Denver back in 2023, he would then switch to the No. 3, which many Nuggets fans know him for now.

And even for a good bit of time playing with California United coming up as a top prospect, he has several–– and perhaps more––photos wearing both of the No. 0 and No. 3 than he does with his No. 1, that he will now wear heading into the 2026-27 NBA campaign.

So get used to it, Nuggets fans. This appears to be the new norm for the 23-year-old, and could be the beginning of what might be a pivotal year four for Strawther, where he's expected to land a much more featured bench role, while also taking on the overarching pressure of entering a contract year.

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