Lard Butt

As the 2009 NBA season gets underway, Lard Butt takes a look back at one of our favorite players of all time: The Denver Nuggets' Lafayette 'Fat' Lever, who was an amazing point guard with an even more amazing name...he also had stints in Dallas and Portland.

Is Fat Lever a Lard Butt favorite because of his inspired Denver game jersey that tried to showcase the city's entire skyline in vintage 1980s block-art?  Absolutely...

Is he a Lard Butt favorite because Denver had THE leading scorer of the 1980s on its roster, who may not have done it without Fat?  Absolutely...while Larry Bird, Dr J, Kareem, Magic, Bernard King and so many others got the 'ink,' Denver's Alex English quietly led the entire league in scoring for the decade, getting many assists from the even more anonymous Fat man himself!  

While both the jerseys and Alex English were indeed legit, what set the Denver Nuggets of that era apart from all others in Lard Butt's eyes was that their point guard was FAT...Not just PHAT, but FAT.

During his career, Fat Lever was a versatile guard who managed to compile 46 triple-doubles (scoring, rebounding, and assists) during his time in Denver.  To give context for Fat's PHAT effort, the rest of the Nuggets have had a total of 21 triple doubles throughout their entire team history, according to NBA.com.

Alas, Fat Lever got his name not due to any weight issue, but because a younger brother of his found that 'Fat' was easier to pronounce than 'Lafayette,' Fat's birth name...and it stuck.  He retired in the early 1990s and is running his own business these days. 

We tip our scales to Fat Lever and hope everyone enjoys the upcoming season!  Other under-appreciated NBA favorties from past or present?  Post 'em here on the Lard Blog...