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Denver Nuggets: Our Top 5 International Players of All Time

By Kyle Standfield

Sep 11, 2015; Springfield, MA, USA; Dikembe Mutombo speaks during the 2015 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony at Springfield Symphony Hall. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 11, 2015; Springfield, MA, USA; Dikembe Mutombo speaks during the 2015 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony at Springfield Symphony Hall. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 14, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Dikembe Mutombo during the NBA Hall of Fame at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 14, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Dikembe Mutombo during the NBA Hall of Fame at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Dikembe Mutombo- #1

Very few times will you ever experience a ‘where were you’ moment in your life.

They can be horrifying, beautiful, confusing or awe-inspiring. For the entire city of Denver, the image of Dikembe Mutombo clutching a basketball above his head, his gigantic arms outstretched as he wept tears of joy, is a ‘where were you’ moment.

The 1993/94 Denver Nuggets squad finished with a 42-40 regular season record and snuck into the playoffs as the 8th seed in the West. They faced a Seattle Supersonics team that steamrolled their way to a league best 63-19 record during the regular season in the first round of the playoffs. The first two games went as expected, as the Sonics took a two games to zero lead heading to Denver. What happened next no one saw coming as the Nuggets evened the series at two. The deciding game in Seattle went into overtime, with Denver pulling out a 98-94 victory.

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They became the first 8th seed in NBA history to defeat a number one seed. Mutombo posted 8 points, 15 rebounds and 8 blocks in the series decider. Dikembe spent just the five seasons in Denver but the impact he had on and off the court was astronomical. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest defensive forces of all time, blocking or altering shots at unbelievable rates. Mutombo disrupted an entire teams offense due to his mere presence on the floor.

He possessed an incredible wing span that he used to pull down an abundance of rebounds. Argyably, his best statistical season in denver came during the 1995/96 season when he psoted 11 points, 11 rebounds and an unbelievable 4.5 blocks per game. The one knock on Mutombo’s career is that he never developed much of an offensive game.

But, he was so dominant on the defensive side of things that it didnt really matter. Mutombo retired after an incredible 19 year NBA career. He posted averages of 9.8ppg, 10.3rpg and 2.8bpg.

must read: 3 Things Dwyane Wade Would Bring to the Nuggets

Well, that wraps up our detailed list of the top 5 international Denver Nuggets. We hope you enjoyed it and will continue to enjoy our daily fresh content.

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