Lafayette “Fat” Lever thought he had been invited back to Denver to attend the Nuggets’ preseason finale against the Oklahoma City Thunder and interact with the team.
Then when team president Josh Kroenke brought Lever onto the floor after shootaround, he thought he was being “punked.”
Kroenke unveiled a Lever No. 12 jersey and asked how Lever would feel about that hanging from the Pepsi Center rafters.
The Nuggets will officially retire Lever’s jersey this season, an honor that left the former All-Star and triple-double specialist stunned and appreciative.
“It came out of the blue,” Lever said shortly after the announcement.