'You're never going to catch me with a Broncos jersey on' — Mizzou star makes his Chiefs allegiance clear ahead of Nuggets debut

Ahead of his NBA Summer League debut with the Denver Nuggets, Missouri's Tamar Bates got something off his chest that could alienate some of the fans in his new NBA home. 

"You're never gonna catch me with a Broncos jersey on," Bates told reporters. "I'm in Broncos country, but when the Chiefs come to town, y'all know what colors I have on." 

The 6-foot-5 and 195-pound guard signed a two-way deal with the Nuggets after going undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft, but his ties to his hometown in Kansas City still run deep.

He made it clear that he's not simply a bandwagon fan after the Chiefs' recent run of success. As a 22-year-old, his NFL fandom took shape in 2009, when Matt Cassel was traded from the New England Patriots to the Chiefs. Anyone who has spent time growing up in Kansas City will tell you that becoming a fan of the Chiefs is an indoctrination you can hardly avoid, pre-dating the Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid era.

"I'm not no fake Chiefs fan," Bates said, before a reporter suggested former Kansas Jayhawk and Nuggets guard Christian Braun might be one. "I can't speak for CB (Christian Braun) and his Chiefs fandom. But me, you know, I've been with the Chiefs since Matt Cassel, Dwayne Bowe, Jamaal, Charles, Tamba Hali, I'd go on all day."