Lafayette "Fat" Lever (; born August 18, 1960) is an American former professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player who played in the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...
. He later served as the director of player development for the
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...
of the NBA as well as a color analyst for Kings radio broadcasts.
Early life
Lever was born in
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff is the eleventh-largest city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Jefferson County. It is the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff Combin ...
, to Elmer and Willie Lever. The second of three sons, he was nicknamed Fat by his younger brother, Elmer Jr., who had problems saying all the syllables in his name. Their father never lived with the family. In 1970, their mother, Willie, went west to work, while the brothers lived with their grandparents. The kids joined their mom in
Tucson, Arizona
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
, mapsize = 260px
, map_caption = Interactive map ...
, a year later.
Professional career
Portland Trail Blazers
Lever was selected by the
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...
with the 11th pick in the
1982 NBA draft out of
Arizona State
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
. While at ASU, his guard-tandem teammate was
Byron Scott, who left school early (1983) to sign with the
San Diego Clippers. In his NBA debut, Lever recorded 9 points, 7 assists and 4 steals in a road loss against the
Kansas City Kings
The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the olde ...
. On January 20, Lever recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 13 assists in a road loss against the Mavericks. Three days later, Lever recorded his second career double-double when he had 11 points and 10 assists in a road win over the Spurs. On March 20, Lever scored a season-high 19 points to go along with 6 assists as the Trailblazers beat the Nuggets.
During his rookie season, Lever averaged 7.8 points per game, 2.8 rebounds per game, 5.3 assists per game, and 1.9 steals per game.
Denver Nuggets
Lever was considered one of the NBA's best
point guard
The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run the team's offense by ...
s in the late 1980s while playing for the
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...
.
In his debut with the Nuggets, Lever recorded 14 points and 12 assists in a win over the Warriors. On November 6, Lever recorded a double-double of 24 points and 18 assists in a road win over the Lakers, the first time it happened in Nuggets history. On March 9 against the Pacers, Lever recorded his first career triple-double with 13 points, 15 assists and a career-high 10 steals. On April 10, Lever recorded a double-double of 26 points and 18 assists in a road loss against the LA Clippers. At that time, he joined Magic Johnson (in 1982-83) as the only players since the ABA-NBA merger to have at least 2 season games having recorded 24 points and 18 assists.
In his first season with the Nuggets, Lever averaged 12.8 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game, 7.5 assists per game, and 2.5 steals per game. The next season, Lever continued his impressive performance for the Nuggets. On November 12, 1985, Lever recorded his first 30-point double-double as he recorded 31 points, 12 assists, and 9 rebounds in a road loss to the Rockets.
Despite his size (6 feet 3 inches), Lever regularly led the Nuggets in
rebounding. He is the Nuggets' all-time franchise leader in steals and was 2nd in career assists. He is one of only three players in NBA history to record 15 plus points, rebounds, and assists in a single
playoff
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
game (the others being
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 years and is widely reg ...
and
Jason Kidd
Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Regarded as one of the greatest point guards a ...
).
Dallas Mavericks
Lever was traded by the Nuggets to the
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. Th ...
in 1990 for the Mavs' #9 pick in the
1990 NBA draft plus Dallas' first-round pick in the
following one. The Nuggets subsequently traded the #9 pick and their own #15 pick to the
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
for the Heat's #3 pick in the 1990 draft, with Denver sending the Mavs' 1991 first rounder (which was originally the
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...
' pick they acquired in the
Mark Aguirre
Mark Anthony Aguirre (born December 10, 1959) is an American former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Aguirre was chosen as the first overall pick of the 1981 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks after playing thre ...
/
Adrian Dantley
Adrian Delano Dantley (born February 28, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Dantley is a six-time NBA All-Star, a two-time All-NBA selection an ...
trade) to the
Washington Bullets
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...
along with
Michael Adams, for the Bullets' first round pick in the 1991 Draft.
Lever sat out the entire
1992–93 season due to knee injury. He finished his career with the Mavericks in 1994 with career averages of 13.9 points, six rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.22 steals per game.
Career accomplishments
Among Lever's career achievements were making two
NBA All-Star
The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...
teams, an All-NBA Second Team in 1987, and an All-Defensive Second Team in 1988.
As of the end of the
2020–21 regular season, he ranks 11th on the all-time
list of most triple-doubles in the regular season with 43 over 11 seasons, ahead of players like
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...
(28),
Clyde Drexler
Clyde Austin Drexler (born June 22, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player and the commissioner of the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league. Nicknamed "Clyde the Glide", he played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association ...
(25) and
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran.
Given name Karim
* Karim A ...
(21).
He ended his career as the Nuggets second leading assists leader, behind teammate
Alex English
Alexander English (born January 5, 1954) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and businessman.
A South Carolina native, English played college basketball at the University of South Carolina. He was drafted in the second ...
, third in terms of rebounds, behind Issel and English.
On December 2, 2017, the Nuggets retired Lever's number 12 jersey during their home game against the
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
, which they won 115–100.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Portland
, 81 , , 45 , , 24.9 , , .431 , , .333 , , .730 , , 2.8 , , 5.3 , , 1.9 , , .2 , , 7.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Portland
, 81 , , 22 , , 24.8 , , .447 , , .200 , , .743 , , 2.7 , , 4.6 , , 1.7 , , .4 , , 9.7
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, 82 , , 82 , , 31.2 , , .430 , , .250 , , .770 , , 5.0 , , 7.5 , , 2.5 , , .4 , , 12.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, 78 , , 77 , , 33.5 , , .441 , , .316 , , .725 , , 5.4 , , 7.5 , , 2.3 , , .2 , , 13.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, 82 , , 82 , , 37.2 , , .469 , , .239 , , .782 , , 8.9 , , 8.0 , , 2.5 , , .4 , , 18.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, 82 , , 82 , , 37.3 , , .473 , , .211 , , .785 , , 8.1 , , 7.8 , , 2.7 , , .3 , , 18.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, 71 , , 71 , , 38.7 , , .457 , , .348 , , .785 , , 9.3 , , 7.9 , , 2.7 , , .3 , , 19.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, 79 , , 79 , , 35.8 , , .443 , , .414 , , .804 , , 9.3 , , 6.5 , , 2.1 , , .2 , , 18.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Dallas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
, 4 , , 0 , , 21.5 , , .391 , , .000 , , .786 , , 3.8 , , 3.0 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , 7.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Dallas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
, 31 , , 5 , , 28.5 , , .387 , , .327 , , .750 , , 5.2 , , 3.5 , , 1.5 , , .4 , , 11.2
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Dallas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
, 81 , , 54 , , 24.0 , , .408 , , .351 , , .765 , , 3.5 , , 2.6 , , 2.0 , , .2 , , 6.9
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 752 , , 599 , , 31.7 , , .447 , , .310 , , .771 , , 6.0 , , 6.2 , , 2.2 , , .3 , , 13.9
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star
, 2 , , 1 , , 26.5 , , .519 , , .000 , , .875 , , 3.5 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 16.5
Playoffs
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Portland
, 7 , , 0 , , 19.1 , , .452 , , .000 , , .800 , , 2.0 , , 4.4 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 6.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Portland
, 5 , , 0 , , 15.0 , , .267 , , .667 , , .800 , , 3.0 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .0 , , 10.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, 11 , , 8 , , 31.1 , , .402 , , .000 , , .762 , , 6.5 , , 8.5 , , 2.4 , , .2 , , 13.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal en ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, 10 , , 10 , , 34.7 , , .450 , , .571 , , .708 , , 4.8 , , 5.3 , , 2.0 , , .2 , , 14.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, 3 , , 3 , , 33.0 , , .380 , , .250 , , .667 , , 6.0 , , 7.3 , , 2.3 , , .0 , , 15.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, 7 , , 7 , , 39.0 , , .459 , , .429 , , .788 , , 9.3 , , 7.0 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , 17.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, 2 , , 2 , , 29.0 , , .375 , , .667 , , 1.000 , , 6.5 , , 9.5 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , 11.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, 3 , , 3 , , 37.7 , , .373 , , .143 , , .929 , , 10.7 , , 7.0 , , 2.7 , , .3 , , 17.3
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 48 , , 33 , , 30.0 , , .414 , , .409 , , .775 , , 5.8 , , 6.2 , , 1.9 , , .2 , , 12.4
See also
*
List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders
*
*
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lever, Fat
1960 births
Living people
20th-century African-American sportspeople
21st-century African-American people
African-American basketball players
American men's basketball players
Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball players
Basketball players from Arkansas
Dallas Mavericks players
Denver Nuggets players
National Basketball Association All-Stars
National Basketball Association players with retired numbers
Point guards
Portland Trail Blazers draft picks
Portland Trail Blazers players
Shooting guards
Sportspeople from Pine Bluff, Arkansas