Which Denver Nugget was snubbed from ESPN’s all-time list?

The Denver Nuggets had two players make ESPN’s ranking of the 74 best players ever, both towards the very end of the list. Which player got left out?

While the Denver Nuggets may not be overflowing with history compared to some other teams, the team having just two players make ESPN’s list of all-time greatest players is wrong. Alex English and Dikembe Mutombo made the cut, but several other Nuggets should have at least been considered.

Before the Nuggets were even in the NBA, Byron Beck was torching defenses up and down the floor. Beck played ten years for the Nuggets, nine of which were in the ABA. Beck played in 747 games, leaving him third all-time in games played in franchise history and is second all time in ABA history.

While Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is most famous for his patented sky hook, Beck was another pioneering expert of the shot. While his 10.5 point per game scoring average isn’t stellar, it is worth noting that Manu Giniboli, who ranks 58th, averaged only 13 points per game. Clearly, points are not the only determinant when ranking all-time players.

Beck also ranks second all-time in team history with 5,261 rebounds, good for seven boards a game. Beck’s dominance as both an efficient 50% shooter from the field and punishing rebounder make him among the best player to ever dawn a Nuggets’ uniform, yet most people still don’t know who in the world he was. But he deserves at least a thought for a back-end spot on the list.

Another name worth considering is Lafayette “Fat” Lever. Until Jamal Murray came along, Lever was considered the most dynamic point guard to ever suit up in Denver. Lever made two all-star teams in 1988 and 1990 before eventually signing with the Dallas Mavericks in the summer of 1990.

Lever was not just a capable offensive weapon, as his 17 points per game output showed. He was also a defensive pest who is the team’s all-time leader in steals with a whopping 1,167 in just six seasons. That ranks 25th all-time in NBA history. While Lever was never the best player on a championship team, neither was Karl Malone, and Lever’s place in NBA history would be vastly different had Alex English not been taking most of the shots throughout the 1980’s.

But the number one Nugget left off the list is David Thompson. Thompson is easily better than at least ten players on the list, and could challenge another 15 for their spot as well. Thompson is one of the most prolific all around players to ever play the game. After winning the Naismith College Player of the Year award in 1975, Thompson had one of the greatest individual seasons ever with Denver.

In 1976, the team’s last year in the ABA, Thompson posted a ridiculous stat line of 26.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. His baseline-to-baseline athleticism was unparalleled at the time, so much so that he was the first overall pick by both the ABA and the NBA.

After choosing the Nuggets over the Hawks, Thompson destroyed the competition despite playing for only nine years. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1996, and remains one of just six players to score at least 70 points in a game. Thompson’s shorter career and famed problems with addiction might be the main reasons for him being left off the list, but Thompson could not be stopped for nine years of basketball, whereas Manu Ginobili and Alonzo Mourning could.