The Denver Nuggets have announced that they will be retiring the jersey of Lafayette “Fat” Lever this fall. The announcement came this morning as Lever accompanied team president, Josh Kroenke to watch the team practice ahead of tongiht’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Pepsi Center. Lever himself was surprised by the announcement.
“We go through the tours and all these…and the building has changed too. So Denver has changed downtown and everything has changed. So I wasn’t expecting much but to spend some time and see some of the young guys and get a chance to watch a preseason game in person. Then, when we get out on the court and it happens that way, it’s like…okay…saying you’ve been punked or…? That’s what it was like. Because I wasn’t expecting to even go out on the court.”
It isn’t a coincidence that Lever’s jersey will rise to the rafters this season. The Nuggets will be celebrating their 50th anniversary this year and with it will come a lot of honoring and recognizing the past 50 years. Lever was a two-time all-star with the Denver Nuggets and part of the golden generation of Nuggets players of the 1980s that were a perennial playoff team and reached the western conference finals. He is known for his all-around play and ability to fill up the entire stat sheet. His 43 career triple doubles ranks in the top 10 in NBA history. That stat is made all the more impressive by the fact that he is just 6’ 3” tall.
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You can watch Lever’s jersey get raised to the rafters on Saturday, December 2nd when the Nuggets play host to the Los Angeles Lakers. In addition to being a weekend home game against one of the league’s most popular teams, it should also be a game that the Nuggets should win running away. Should make for a great night!
