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Denver has every major professional sport and then some, yet no athlete’s salary is discussed more than that of Rocky, the mascot of the Denver Nuggets.
It comes up every few months, largely based on a claim from several years ago that was never fully confirmed…or denied. And it came up again last week, after an amazing shot at one of the last Nuggets game of the season. That prompted Denver resident Craig to ask: “All over social media and podcasts, I hear that the Nuggets’ mascot, Rocky, makes over $600,000 a year. That can’t be true, is it?”
For the latest edition of our Weekly WTF series, we dive into the furry pockets of Denver’s most hardworking mascot.
How the Rumor Started
Tracing the origin of the rumor about Rocky’s handsome paychecks is like unrolling a snowball from the foot of a mountain. From what we can tell, the notion originated with a 2022 list by the Sports Business Journal, which reported that Rocky earned approximately $625,000 per year, or roughly ten times the average salary for an NBA mascot. Some reports went as high as $650,000 per year.
Talk-show hosts and listicles still love to play it up, especially when Rocky — or any mascot, for that matter — does something notable. The most recent resurgence came after Rocky swished a half-court shot while facing the other basket…and sitting atop a ridiculous and rickety ladder contraption.
Performances like that help people believe that whoever’s under that suit makes well over a half-million each year — but do they, really?
As much as we love Rocky, no. Not now. Not ever, according to multiple sources.
Debunking the Claim
We first reported in 2023 that the “claim is 100 percent bogus.” And if Rocky wasn’t making over $600,000 back then, he certainly isn’t now, because the person under the suit has changed multiple times since.
The originally rumored $625,000 was connected to Kenn Solomon, an acrobatic and engaging performer who built Rocky’s reputation for over thirty years as a crowd-pleasing daredevil. Solomon’s identity largely remained a mystery well after the number surfaced, and he has never denied the claim when asked about it. Nuggets brass has continually declined to comment on Rocky’s salary — and the identity of the performer, for the matter.
However, another source close to the Nuggets tells us that the figure was simply made up, and Rocky’s salary was never close to $625,000.
Solomon originally retired in 2021, handing the Rocky suit over to his son, Drake, who had worked for the team since high school. He was never paid over $600,000 by the Nuggets, either.
In a sad turn of events, Drake caught COVID-19 and developed lingering hip pain during the 2022-23 season, prompting Solomon to return for the Nuggets’ championship run. Drake was back for the next season, but after another unfortunate medical diagnosis and a double hip replacement, the franchise replaced him before the 2024-25 season. He sued the Nuggets in 2025 over his dismissal; the team has disputed his claims and is fighting the lawsuit.
The shuffling behind the scenes provided more evidence that Rocky doesn’t make $625,000, however. In 2024, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, the controlling ownership group of the team, posted a job opening for a “mascot performer.” The job’s description didn’t include the term “Rocky,” but it did require a knowledge of basketball and the ability to demonstrate basketball skills, and the role fell under the Denver Nuggets business unit.
“As a mascot performer for KSE properties, you will be considered a world-class performer and ambassador for our sport property at all home games and public appearances,” the description read.
The salary range for that position: $70,000 to $130,000 annually.
After swishing that backwards shot, maybe it’s time for another raise?
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