The Denver Nuggets have a proud asset in their extremely entertaining and funny mascot, Rocky the Mountain Lion. Rocky is considered among the most popular mascots in the NBA. And not just that, he is also the highest-paid mascot in the league, making a cool $625,000 a year. However, his job also entails certain dangerous stunts that once became life-threatening for Rocky.
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Denver Nuggets’ Rocky might be known for his hilarious antics and acrobatic slam dunks during pre-game and half-time shows. But his wild stunts are what differentiates him from his peers. One such stunt almost took Rocky’s life.
In 2013’s opening night game between the Nuggets and the Portland Trail Blazers, something seemed quite off about the otherwise jovial mascot. Rocky was scheduled to rappel down from the rafters during the pregame ceremony.
But as he was descending down with his harness, he seemed completely limp. It almost looked like Rocky was hanging from the harness attached to his suit.
This stunt gone horribly wrong nearly killed the Nuggets mascot in the middle of the arena
Here’s The Story: pic.twitter.com/afM9uzDjA4
— Frank Michael Smith (@frankmikesmith) June 21, 2023
The scene was quite confusing and terrifying for everyone at the arena. When Rocky reached the court, medics arrived for immediate help. It was later revealed that the harness had cut off the mascot’s blood circulation which caused the disaster.
Fortunately, the man inside the Rocky suit seemed alright. The daredevil lion was ruled out for that game. However, throughout the rest of the season, he continued his antics and domination as a mascot.
Rocky had a long-withstanding feud with Charles Barkley
It would be weird or unconventional for a mascot to pick a long-standing feud with an NBA player. But Rocky and Charles Barkley surely had a score to settle over time. Over the past 30 years, the lion-figured mascot has been trading literal and figurative jabs at Sir Charles since his prime years.
One of the most famous incidents was when Rocky held a white sheet with a chicken and Chuck’s No. 34 on the court. Chuck has also had his share of trading jabs, once sending the mascot to the floor with a slap.
However, Chuck and Rocky have resolved their longstanding beef during Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Finals. The two former adversaries shook hands, with Chuck exchanging his iconic No.34 jersey with Rocky’s retro jacket from the ’90s.
