Joel Embiid last played in Denver when these 5 world and sports events were still true

As the two best big men of their generation, it's major news any time we get a potential matchup between Denver Nuggets reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and 2023 MVP Joel Embiid. After all, Embiid's Philadelphia 76ers visit Jokic's Nuggets on Tuesday night in Denver in a flashy TNT matchup.

Unfortunately, as Embiid addresses swelling in his knee, the 76ers center will miss the game. Given that the Nuggets and 76ers are only scheduled for two regular-season matchups per year because they reside in different conferences, it's a poor turn of events for hoops fans hoping to see this battle of titans in the Mile High City.

It's a particularly bad stroke of luck for Nuggets fans who were hoping to see Embiid square off with their franchise player in Jokic. Why? Because it's been a long time since Embiid actually played on the road in Denver.

Here's a quick list of things that have changed in the world since Embiid last played on the road in Colorado's capital city ... in 2019:

My goodness. At first, I couldn't process seeing "Tom Brady still played in New England." Then, you see something like The Last Dance wasn't out yet, and I'm not even sure I can imagine a sports world anymore without that preeminent Michael Jordan propaganda. Phew.

It's really been that long, huh?

Alas. At this point, all Nuggets (and NBA fans at large) can probably do is wait until next year to hopefully see Embiid play on the road against Jokic in Denver again. Fingers crossed.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Joel Embiid last played in Denver when these 5 world and sports events were still true