Denver will retire legendary center Dikembe Mutombo’s #55 jersey on opening night, Nuggets President and Governor Josh Kroenke announced Monday.
Mutombo, a 7’1″ center known for his elite shot blocking ability, appeared in 391 total games from 1991 to 1996 with the Nuggets. He averaged 12.9 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 3.81 blocks in that span.
Mutombo was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame last fall, and will become the fifth player to have his jersey retired by the Nuggets franchise.
“Dikembe Mutumbo was a perennial all-star on the court, and despite all of his numerous athletic accomplishments, he has somehow managed to have an even bigger impact off of the court through his charitable foundation and his present role as a global ambassador for the NBA,” stated Kroenke. “He has helped bring awareness to issues impacting his homeland continent of Africa and through his hospital he is already changing and saving lives. It is our privilege to honor Dikembe by retiring his #55 jersey during halftime of our opening night game. It will be a night Nuggets fans won’t want to miss as we will be wearing our iconic rainbow skyline uniforms to commemorate the special event and Dikembe’s Hall of Fame career.”
The jersey retirement ceremony will be held at halftime of the Nuggets’ home-opening game against Portland on October 29th. The team will wear their iconic “Rainbow Skyline” throwback uniforms worn during Mutombo’s rookie season in Denver to honor him, as well.
This is not the first time a team has retired Mutombo’s #55 jersey, with the Atlanta Hawks holding the same ceremony back in November of last year.
Dikembe Mutombo currently ranks first in Nuggets franchise history in blocked shots (1,486), third in rebounds (4,811), and 19th in points (5,054). He was the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year as a member of the team in 1994, and was named to the All-Star team in 1992, 1995, and 1996.
