Iowa Basketball Alum Ryan Bowen Reaches the NBA Summit in Denver
PHOTO: ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NBAE VIA GETTY IMAGES
Denver Nuggets assistant coach Ryan Bowen (right) watches from the bench during a game in the 2023 Western Conference Finals at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
Ryan Bowen (98BS) landed a spot on the Iowa roster—and later a 10-year NBA career—through hustle and hard work. Since retiring from basketball in 2009, the two-time All-Big Ten honoree has used these strengths to become a successful NBA assistant coach. Bowen, who helped the Denver Nuggets capture their first NBA title in franchise history last June, has the defending champs in contention again this season.
PHOTOs Courtesy Iowa Athletics
Fort Madison, Iowa, native Ryan Bowen played for the Hawkeyes from 1994 to 1998 and was a two-time all-Big Ten performer.
Denver Developer
As a senior at Iowa, Bowen became the program’s career steals leader and was drafted by the Denver Nuggets with the 55th pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. Bowen played five seasons with the Nuggets but started to envision his future as a coach while scouting opponents at the end of his playing career. He served one season as video coordinator on Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery’s staff before becoming an assistant coach with the Nuggets. In that role, Bowen has developed players like two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic on the court, though these days he focuses more on scouting upcoming opponents.
“I was an effort and energy player for a majority of my career,” says Bowen, who’s spent 11 of his 13 seasons coaching with the Nuggets. “My work ethic spoke for itself. I think coaches are looking for workers, and they thought I was going to be able to come in and do just that.”
PHOTO: ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NBAE VIA GETTY IMAGES
Ryan Bowen looks on during a 2022 Nuggets game at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
Family Title
Bowen’s efforts paid off last year as he celebrated the Nuggets’ first NBA championship on the court with his family. “I was almost more excited for my family because of what they’d been through—traveling around and moving kids to different schools, whether I was a player or a coach,” he says. “It almost felt like it was a reward just as much to them as it was to me, and it was just a really special moment in my life.”