Nuggets mascot Rocky sues team, citing disability discrimination

Rocky the Mountain Lion is back in the headlines, though this time it has nothing to do with high-flying dunks or entertaining NBA fans.

Drake Solomon, the man who wore the costume, is suing Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Denver Nuggets, for what he says was a violation of disability protection laws.

The Colorado Sun reported that Solomon was diagnosed with avascular necrosis, a bone tissue condition, during the 2022-23 season. He underwent multiple surgeries, including a hip replacement the following year.

According to the lawsuit, when Solomon informed his supervisors about the upcoming hip procedure, the team moved forward with mascot tryouts, citing concerns over his health.

Solomon said he made a quick recovery and returned to work during the 2023-24 season, only to face what he described as a hostile work environment. He claims the team again held tryouts for Rocky because he “burned them last time.”

He was fired in August 2024, shortly after the tryouts, which the suit says violated the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act.

Solomon began with the Nuggets in 2012 as a trampoline dunk artist. His father played Rocky for more than three decades before retiring in 2021, when Solomon won the job in a private tryout.

“It was not easy to go ahead with this because I love the Nuggets,” Solomon said. “They’ve been my whole life and my family. For things to end the way they did, it was pretty heartbreaking.”

The Nuggets won the NBA title in 2023, which turned out to be one of Solomon’s final seasons as the beloved mascot.

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