Hoops Habit
Fansided

Denver Nuggets: 25 Best Players To Play For The Nuggets

By Phil Watson

Mar 8, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; A general view of the Denver Nuggets logo on the floor prior to the game between the Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 8, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; A general view of the Denver Nuggets logo on the floor prior to the game between the Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
18 of 26
Next
Basketball: NBA Playoffs: Denver Nuggets Dikembe Mutombo (55) in action vs Seattle SuperSonics Shawn Kemp (40) at Key Arena. Game 5. Seattle, WA 5/7/1994 CREDIT: John W. McDonough (Photo by John W. McDonough /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (Set Number: X46140 )
Basketball: NBA Playoffs: Denver Nuggets Dikembe Mutombo (55) in action vs Seattle SuperSonics Shawn Kemp (40) at Key Arena. Game 5. Seattle, WA 5/7/1994 CREDIT: John W. McDonough (Photo by John W. McDonough /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (Set Number: X46140 ) /

73. <strong>How acquired: </strong>4th overall pick from Georgetown, 1991 NBA Draft.. C. 1991-96. Dikembe Mutombo . 9. player

The Denver Nuggets drafted Dikembe Mutombo out of Georgetown looking for a defensive anchor at the rim.

They got a lot more.

DEN_09_MUTOMBO
DEN_09_MUTOMBO /

Mutombo was the Defensive Player of the Year in the NBA in 1994-95 and was a three-time All-Star and an All-Defensive selection while in Denver, leading the NBA in blocks three straight seasons (1993-94 through 1995-96).

In the 1994 NBA Playoffs, Mutombo led the Nuggets to a historic first-round upset, as eighth-seeded Denver knocked off the top-seeded Seattle SuperSonics in five games, a series in which Mutombo set a record with 62 blocks, the most ever in a five-game series.

Mutombo left as a free agent in July 1996, signing with the Atlanta Hawks.

In five seasons with the Nuggets, he averaged 12.9 points, 12.3 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 1.7 assists in 36.9 minutes per game, shooting .523/0-for-2/.650.

He was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year with the Hawks before he was traded in February 2001 to the Philadelphia 76ers. He earned the honor a fourth time in that split 2000-01 season.

In August 2002, Mutombo was dealt to the New Jersey Nets. Waived in October 2003, Mutombo signed with the New York Knicks two days later. Traded to the Chicago Bulls in August 2004, he never suited up for them before he was dealt again in September 2004 to the Houston Rockets, where he played his final five seasons, retiring after the 2008-09 campaign.

Mutombo is 38th in NBA history with 1,196 games, 19th with 12,359 rebounds, second with 3,289 blocked shots, 37th with an average of 10.3 rebounds per game and seventh with an average of 2.8 blocks per game.

He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.

Next: All-Star Was Actually Quite Thin

Home/Denver Nuggets