Rocky the Mountain Lion has been a very entertaining part of the Denver Nuggets franchise for over three decades. Mascots like him have the toughest jobs in the arena besides the on-court employees which include coaching staff, players, camera crew, etc. Such Mascots are tasked to perform dangerous stunts and entertain the crowd. Keeping an entire stadium entertained at all costs requires a lot of talent.
Over the years several Mascots have taken the stage just like Rocky the Mountain Lion. Benny the Bull is another fan favorite that performs for the Chicago Bulls. Chuck the Condor and Harry the Hawk are some other mascots that fans love seeing during games. Mascots are famous for pulling pranks on fans and socializing with their home crowd. They play an integral part during the game to divert a lot of frustration that emerges among fans.
The Nuggets have featured Rocky for several years now. Over the numerous seasons he’s appeared in, there was probably a bunch of stuntmen who were appointed to the role of Rocky. Ken Soloman happens to be the only known person who took up the role of the daredevil within Rocky. As a result of his hard work and for putting his body on the line, Ken gets paid hundred thousands of dollars. Let’s take a deeper look at his salary.
How much does Denver Nuggets mascot Rocky make?
Ken Soloman, aka. Rocky the Mountain Lion earns a whopping $625,000 every year, according to Hypebeast. The base salary of an NBA player is just above one million while their WNBA counterparts earn an average of $100,000 per season. Ken certainly makes a great fortune by putting his body and life on the line at times.
Denver Nuggets mascot Rocky is the highest-paid mascot in the NBA with a $625K (!!!) annual salary 🤯
Would you do this for $625K? 😳pic.twitter.com/XpvvLV7aCM
— The GIST Canada (@thegistca) October 2, 2022
Rocky debuted with the Nuggets back in 1990. The addition of a mascot helped revive the franchise’s dipping ticket sales and popularity as well. Most franchises have mascots for similar reasons but also use them as a representative at team events as well. Mascots also help attract the young fan base with their loving and comedic characters.
While Rocky is the highest-paid mascot in the NBA, Harry the Hawk is a close second who earned $600,000 per year. Benny the Bulls and the Phoenix Suns’ Go the Gorilla take third and fourth place respectively.