The Denver Nuggets dedicated their season opener against the Blazers on Saturday to one of the franchise's greatest players, Dikembe Mutombo. The whole night was centered on Mutombo as the Nuggets wore their glorious old-school rainbow city skyline jerseys and retired the Hall of Fame center's No. 55 at halftime.

At the halftime ceremony, the Nuggets presented Mutombo with a painting of his iconic celebration after Denver shocked everybody and beat the top-seeded Seattle SuperSonics in the 1994 playoffs. Mutombo was a huge part of that series and him laying on the ground while clutching the ball is one of the great images in NBA history.

Mutombo then took the mic to thank the fans and the Nuggets' organization:

And then with the help of his family, Mutombo raised his No. 55 to the rafters of the Pepsi Center:

Mutombo played just five seasons with the Nuggets, yet he was an All-Star three times in Denver. He was a big reason why those Denver teams in the mid-'90s were so successful. And he is also the best center the Nuggets have had in at least the past three decades.

Mutombo's number was also retired by the Atlanta Hawks last season and he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. He is one of the best shot blocking big men to play the game and is now forever immortalized in the rafters of the Pepsi Center.