As part of the 2016-17 home-opener festivities, the Denver Nuggets will retire former legend Dikembe Mutombo’s #55 jersey, President and Governor Josh Kroenke announced.
Mutombo was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2015 and will become the fifth player and sixth representative in team history to have his number enshrined in the rafters.
He joins fellow Nuggets greats Byron Beck (#40), Alex English (#2), Dan Issel (#44), David Thompson (#33) and Doug Moe, who coached the team to a franchise-record 432 wins. This will mark the first time that the Nuggets have retired a player’s number at Pepsi Center.
Drafted fourth overall by Denver in the 1991 NBA Draft, Mutombo played for the Nuggets from 1991 to 1996, compiling averages of 12.9 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.81 blocks in 391 total games.
As a member of the Nuggets, Mutombo was a three-time NBA All-Star (‘92, ’95 and ’96), three-time NBA blocked shots leader (‘93-94, ’94-95, ’95-96), named Defensive Player of the Year in ‘94-95 and was instrumental in helping the Nuggets become the first eighth-seeded team to defeat a number one seed in NBA Playoff history.
Mutombo still remains the Nuggets all-time leader in blocked shots (1,486) and career rebounding average (12.3 per game) while ranking third in rebounds (4,811) and 19th in points (5,054).
The Nuggets will hold the jersey retirement ceremony during halftime of the home-opening game vs. Portland on Oct. 29. For one night only, the Nuggets will wear the iconic “Rainbow Skyline” throwback uniforms worn during Mutombo’s rookie season in Denver.