On Thursday night, the stars were out as Denver hosted its first-ever NBA Finals game.
Among the notable attendees were Russell Wilson and Peyton Manning, current and former Denver Broncos quarterbacks, respectively. The Broncos’ new head coach Sean Payton was also in the building at Ball Arena, as was well-known actor Ken Jeong.
Jeong seemed to be the guest of honor for the evening, taking the floor during a timeout to put up some halfcourt shots. The shots, however, were not the greatest, and Twitter was quick to poke fun at his uninspiring efforts.
Oh no, Ken Jeong 😂
(via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/lJ8gauXwUg
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 2, 2023
Jeong, who is famous for his roles as Leslie Chow in The Hangover film series and Ben Chang in the NBC sitcom Community, even sent a message to the Nuggets before the game.
We got a message from the one and only @kenjeong 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/ignoZXOGuw
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) June 2, 2023
But despite his support of Denver on Thursday night, his NBA fandom remains a little unclear.
Is Ken Jeong a Nuggets fan?
Jeong says he is pulling for the Nuggets in this year’s NBA Finals.
In an interview with Denver’s Altitude Sports Radio, the actor confirmed he will be rooting for Nikola Jokic and co. in their series against the Heat.
Thanks to @kenjeong – big @nuggets guy!!! @AltitudeSR #BringItIn @NateKreckman @MarkAMark pic.twitter.com/ARO3lUcyuq
— Andy Lindahl (@Andy_Lindahl) June 1, 2023
However, his connections to the Mile High City are a bit unclear.
In his role as Ben Chang on Community, he is a resident of the fictional town of Greendale, Colorado, but there is nothing to suggest Jeong has ever lived in Colorado in real life. He and his Community co-star Joel McHale did perform at a charity comedy show in Denver this fall at the Bellco Theater, just a few blocks away from Ball Arena.
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Jeong is known to be a passionate basketball fan, having earned his undergraduate degree at Duke University. He has been seen cheering on the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on a number of occasions.
Ken Jeong, the Page High School & Duke alum here in attendance tonight. @WFMY pic.twitter.com/vNbGfxS51Y
— Amanda Ferguson (@_amandaferguson) March 5, 2022
He went on to obtain his M.D. just down the road at the University of North Carolina’s School of Medicine. It created something of an awkward situation considering the fierce rivalry between the two schools, but he has always made it clear he supports the Blue Devils over the Tar Heels.
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In terms of NBA fandom, Jeong had previously shown love to the Lakers in his hometown of Los Angeles. He was made an honorary captain for a game a couple of years ago and even offered his services to the team as a possible replacement for the retiring Kobe Bryant in 2016.
Ken Jeong 🤝 Ben Baller. See what they got up to as Honorary Captains.#LakeShow x @bibigoUSA pic.twitter.com/ymSbtRl2qh
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 1, 2021
But following the Nuggets’ sweep over the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, it seems he has thrown his support behind Denver to win it all in 2023.
