The Denver Rockets, first known as the Denver Larks, were charter members of the American Basketball Association in 1967. Originally awarded to Kansas City, the franchise was shifted to Colorado when an arena lease could not be secured in Missouri. Kansas City would eventually get a team in the National Basketball Association (NBA) when the Cincinnati Royals moved there in 1972. The Rockets became the Nuggets in 1974 in advance of their move to the NBA which already had the Houston Rockets.