Dikembe Mutombo is already in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and now his uniform is headed to the Pepsi Center rafters.
The Denver Nuggets on Monday announced the team will retire the Hall of Famer’s No. 55 jersey during the 2016-17 home-opener festivities.
Mutombo will be the fifth player in Nuggets history to have his number retired and sixth representative honored. Byron Beck (No. 40), Alex English (No. 2), Dan Issel (No. 44), David Thompson (No. 33) and former coach Doug Moe are currently enshrined.
Mutombo will be the first to have his number retired at the Pepsi Center, and the ceremony will take place at halftime of the Oct. 29 game against Portland. The Nuggets plan to wear throwback “Rainbow Skyline” uniforms during that game. Tickets for the game go on sale Sept. 30.
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— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) September 26, 2016
Mutombo was drafted No. 4 overall in 1991 and played five seasons for Denver. While a member of the Nuggets, he was a three-time all-star and led the league in blocks three times. He was also named defensive player of the year in 1994-95.
He still holds the Nuggets’ record for career blocked shots (1,486) and career rebounding average (12.3 per game).