Two members of the Denver Nuggets’ inaugural team after the ABA-NBA merger stand as some of the best players in franchise history. Forward Dan Issel (5th) and swingman David Thompson (4th) were early stars who made a lasting impression on the organization after decades of playing for Denver. Issel is the second-leading scorer in franchise history with 16,589 points, averaging 20.7 points per game in his 10 seasons with the team. He was also the first Denver Nuggets member to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Thompson, just like his teammate Issel, was also a Hall of Famer. He was the ABA Rookie of The Year in 1976 and helped Denver climb all the way to the ABA Finals. The four-time NBA All-Star was known for his 73-point eruption in 1978 and averaged a total of 24.1 points per game in 498 games for Denver.
Dikembe Mutombo stands out as the third-best Nuggets player of all-time. In just four seasons with the Nuggets in the early ‘90s, Mutombo inked himself in history as the franchise's all-time blocks leader with a whopping total of 1,486 (averaging 3.8 blocks in 391 games). Mutombo went on to play the rest of his career with several other teams, but his impact in his early years in Denver will certainly last.
Number two on the Nuggets' top five list has to be Carmelo Anthony. The Nuggets' third overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft put the team on the map. An instant star in the city of Denver, Melo was a member of the NBA All-Rookie Team and a four-time All-Star in seven and a half seasons with the Nuggets. He averaged over 24 points per game before leaving Mile High City.
At the top of the list has to be the legendary Alex English. The Hall of Fame swingman blessed the franchise with a decade-long career with numbers that went off the roof. English tops the franchise as the all-time leading scorer with 21,645 points while making eight All-Star teams in his 10-year stay in Denver. His individual success also translated to wins, as he was able to lead the Nuggets to nine straight playoff appearances.