Billups chose the #7 jersey to honor Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway, since two of his other favorite numbers, 1 and 4, were already worn by J. R. Smith and Kenyon Martin, respectively. He played his first game of the Nuggets' 2008–09 season on November 7, 2008. He recorded 15 points, four rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes of play in a 108–105 Nuggets' home win. Billups was the only Nugget to be selected to the 2009 NBA All-Star Game. He finished the season averaging 17.7 points, and 6.4 assists per game.