NBA History: 25 former NBA stars you forgot dominated the league
By Cal Durrett
17) Fat Lever
Former NBA star Fat Lever might not be a player a lot of NBA fans remember but during the 1980s he was a terrific player, first for the Portland Trail Blazers and then with the Denver Nuggets. While he was only 6'3, Lever put up monster numbers across the board. During his four best seasons, from 1986–87 to 1989–90, Lever averaged 18.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 2.5 steals. He also tallied 41 triple-doubles and two all-star selections during that span.
That monster production from a point guard was unusual at the time and ahead of players like Jason Kidd and Russell Westbrook. Alas, it wasn't meant to last. After being traded to the Dallas Mavericks, he played just 35 out of a possible 246 games from 1990 to 1993 due to various knee injuries.
To his credit, he did come back and play an injury-free season, but he wasn't the same player and he retired at the age of 33. Now, Lever is primarily remembered for his place on the all-time triple doubles list but not for his career as a whole.