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Dikembe Mutombo’s three best Denver Nuggets seasons ranked for NBA Block Week

By Michael Walton

DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 21: Former Denver Nuggets star Dikembe Mutombo gives his famous finger wag after ceremonies at halftime of the game with the Denver Nuggets and the Sacramento Kings game on October 21, 2017 at Pepsi Center. This marks the 50th anniversary of the franchise. (Photo by John Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 21: Former Denver Nuggets star Dikembe Mutombo gives his famous finger wag after ceremonies at halftime of the game with the Denver Nuggets and the Sacramento Kings game on October 21, 2017 at Pepsi Center. This marks the 50th anniversary of the franchise. (Photo by John Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTE, NC – FEBRUARY 17: Dikembe Mutombo (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

1995-96

The ‘96 season was tough for the Denver Nuggets. They were coming of a .500 season that resulted in a playoff berth and in 1996 they took a step back, finishing with 35 wins as Michael Jordan and the Bulls re-established their dominance. But the Nuggets struggling as a team didn’t stop Mutombo from becoming one of the two men in NBA history two win three consecutive block titles.

For the 1995-96 season, Mutombo averaged an absurd 4.5 blocks per game, good for the sixth-highest single-season blocks per game average of all-time. This was also the same season that Mt. Mutombo would grab his career-high in rebounds (and defensive boards) in a game with 31. A total of 23 of those 31 rebounds were defensive rebounds and that figure was helped by the six blocks Mutombo collected on that night at McNichols Sports Arena.

Mutombo led the league in blocks in 1996 with 332 total blocked shots. His best night in the 1995-1996 season in terms of blocks was on December 2, 1995. In that game Mutombo had the rare triple-double with blocked shots, he had 22 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 blocks. Though the Denver Nuggets didn’t make the postseason in 1995-96, Mutombo set the golden standard for blocked shots. In the ‘96 season he had eight blocks four times and nine blocks five times.

In the ‘96 season, Dikembe Mutombo had 118 more blocks than the player who finished second on the Nuggets in blocks, Antonio McDyess. Mutombo’s efforts helped the Nuggets lead the league in blocked shots per game that season and ultimately put a nice bow on his time in Denver.

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