"This guy was a triple-double before triple-doubles were a thing" - Tom Chambers shares what made Fat Lever the most underrated player in the 80s

“This guy was a triple-double before triple-doubles were a thing” – Tom Chambers shares what made Fat Lever the most underrated player in the 80s originally appeared on Basketball Network.

When thinking about players who left a mark during the early years of the Denver Nuggets, especially in the 1980s, names like Alex English, Michael Adams and Kiki Vandeweghe often come to mind. However, for Tom Chambers, who played in that era, the actual heartbeat of that team was someone who rarely got his due: Lafayette Fat Lever.

Despite standing just 6’3″, Lever was the ultimate glue guy, filling every gap that the team had, whether it was scoring, playmaking, or even rebounding.

Tom has deep respect for Fat

When Lever joined the Nuggets in 1984, the Nuggets were coming off a 38-win season and were one of the worst defensive teams in the league. However, his arrival sparked a transformation. In Lafayette’s first year, the team improved its win share to 52 games in the regular season and made a run to the Western Conference Finals. Fat was quick to leave an impression, averaging 12.8 points, 7.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game, seamlessly integrating himself into the team and elevating its overall winning prowess.

Over the subsequent five campaigns, Lever appeared in over 70 games each year, a testament to his durability despite playing heavy minutes every night. During that span, he earned two All-Star selections, a spot in the All-NBA Second Team and even cracked the top 10 in MVP voting twice. Yet despite these accolades, Fat never garnered any major attention as the media focused more on flashier stat lines.

So, while English received the majority of credit for being an unstoppable scoring force, Chambers argued that it was Lever who kept the Nuggets’ engine running. Put simply, according to TC, Fat was Denver’s unselfish floor general, who logged triple-doubles before they were even an applause-worthy stat.

“Fat was terrific. This guy was a triple-double before triple-doubles were a thing. He was a point guard in Denver, and he played with a bunch of guys who scored; he kept them all happy. He was the guy that made it all go in the assists category, and also out-rebound all those big guys. So, he was absolutely terrific with Denver,” Chambers said. “A tough-tough guard.”

Fat was a player that every team needed

In Lever’s six-year stint with the Nuggets, the team made the playoffs every season. Their best showing came in 1985, when they reached the Western Conference Finals, but they also made it to the second round twice after that. Much like how Kevin McHale was praised in that era for complementing Larry Bird with relentless effort and defense, Fat played a similar role in Denver, working just as hard, if not harder, than the stars around him to elevate the team’s chances of winning.

Safe to say that, thankfully, Chambers witnessed that greatness up close and has made it a point to highlight how Lever remains one of the most underrated players in NBA history. Had it not been for the latter’s unselfishness, who knows if the Nugegts would’ve attained the success that they were able to.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 6, 2025, where it first appeared.

“This guy was a triple-double before triple-doubles were a thing” – Tom Chambers shares what made Fat Lever the most underrated player in the 80s

Tags: