Penn State Basketball Alum Calvin Booth Fired as Denver Nuggets General Manager

The Denver Nuggets shook up their personnel department on Tuesday, leaving a former Penn State player searching for a new role. 

Calvin Booth, a three-year starter and two-time captain for the Nittany Lions who was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 1998, has been fired in his fifth season as Denver’s general manager, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Tuesday. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has also been relieved of his duties.

Booth’s departure comes just two seasons after winning an NBA championship with Denver in 2023. He had been a part of the organization since 2017, first serving as an assistant general manager before earning a promotion to general manager in 2020.

Booth, who holds Penn State’s program record for career blocks, was once the team’s highest-drafted player when he was selected by the Washington Wizards with the No. 35 overall pick of the 1999 NBA Draft. He played in the NBA for 10 years before transitioning into a front office role.

In 2012, Booth served as a scout for the New Orleans Pelicans. He was later hired by the Minnesota Timberwolves as a scout and director of player personnel, and worked with the franchise from 2013 to 2017.

While with the Nuggets, Booth selected former Penn State guard Jalen Pickett with the No. 32 overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. That made Pickett the highest-drafted Nittany Lion in program history, breaking the record Booth set over two decades prior.

That same offseason, Booth signed former Penn State sharpshooter Andrew Funk as an undrafted free agent. Funk was later waived, but joined Denver’s G-League affiliate, Grand Rapids Gold. Funk was re-signed by the Nuggets this past October, waived a week later and now again plays for the Gold.

Booth’s son, Carey, was a four-star recruit out of high school and initially signed with the Nittany Lions before decommitting and following head coach Micah Shrewsberry to Notre Dame prior to the 2023 season. Carey transferred to Colorado State last week after one season at Illinois.