Denver Nuggets: 15 best draft picks of all-time
By John Buhler
In some people’s eyes, he could have been No. 1, but not today (finger wag). Yes, he has his No. 55 retired by two organizations, Denver and the Atlanta Hawks. However, we will put Basketball Hall of Fame center Dikembe Mutombo in at No. 2. Denver made a fantastic decision in taking the Congolese seven-footer No. 4 overall in the 1991 NBA Draft out of Georgetown.
Mutombo might have been a 25-year-old rookie in 1991-92, but was an incredibly productive player during his five years with the Nuggets. He made the 1991-92 All-Rookie first-team, as well as an All-Star appearance in his first year in the league. In total, Mutombo would make three of his eight All-Star games in Nuggets uniform. He led the league in blocks three times with the Nuggets.
Mutombo would earn his first of four NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards in Nuggets uniform in 1994-95. He is also known for his celebration during the Nuggets’ historic upset of the top-seeded Seattle SuperSonics in the first round of the 1994 Western Conference Playoffs. In total, Mutombo averaged 12.9 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game in his five years in Denver.
Mutombo would sign with the Hawks in 1996 NBA free agency, where he would play the next five seasons. He would close out his prime in 2001-02 as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. Mutombo would retire from hoops in 2008-09 at age 42 with the Houston Rockets.
Overall, he was an eight-time All-Star, a six-time All-Defensive team member, a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, a three-time All-NBA team member, a three-time block champion and a two-time rebounding champions. He would be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. His classmates include John Calipari, Spencer Haywood, Lisa Leslie and Jo Jo White.