Reflecting on the life and achievements of a pioneer of African basketball
A point guard dribbles the ball, waiting for his opening. As he crosses over, he sees it, the lane has opened for him, and he attacks. As he goes up for what he thinks is an easy two points, he suddenly crashes to the ground and the ball is out of his grasp. Confused, he looks around and sees a long index finger wagging at him. He should have known better than to drive into the lane where Dikembe Mutombo was patrolling.
Mutombo passed away recently from brain cancer at the age of 58. By all accounts to those that knew him, Mutombo was the definition of a gentle giant. An imposing figure on the basketball court but a kind soul off it. Look no further than the tear-filled reaction to the news by Toronto Raptors GM Masai Ujiri to understand what Mutombo meant to the basketball world and especially the African basketball world.
Ujiri said that Mutombo “set a path for us”, and looking around the NBA it is clear how right he is. Mutombo alongside Manute Bol and Hakeem Olajuwon helped to bring basketball to the African continent, and we have seen an influx of African talent in the league in the years since. The success of the South Sudanese Olympic basketball team can be attributed back to him as well. Luol Deng, former NBA player and current director of South Sudan basketball called Mutombo a “pioneer” who “showed us how to live our lives”.
A look around the league today will show the fruits of the labor from Dikembe. Players like Pascal Siakam, Joel Embiid, and Serge Ibaka were introduced to basketball as an option for them because of the strides that Mutombo made in the NBA and all his efforts post-retirement that exposed so many Africans to the game of basketball.
As a player, Mutombo was the definition of a defensive-minded center. He was never an elite or smooth scorer, and never exceeded 15 points per game after his rookie season. Instead, he focused on becoming an elite rebounder and defender. He was an eight-time All-Star, two-time rebounding champion, three-time block champion, six-time All-Defense selection, four-time Defensive Player of the Year, and three-time All-NBA selection. He is a Hall of Famer that showed us that greatness isn’t solely defined by scoring capability.
He played 18 years, is second all-time in blocked shots and 21st all-time in rebounds. His finger wag was iconic, as was his deep voice. He is the centerpiece of one of the most iconic photos when his Denver Nuggets beat the top-seeded Seattle SuperSonics as an 8-seed in the 1994 NBA Playoffs. He played for six different teams and was always beloved in all his stops. But it was his achievements after his career ended that will truly define how the world remembers Mutombo.
Mutombo is from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Throughout his early life and into his adulthood the country was ravaged by wars and conflicts that left many in his home country without essentials to survive. Mutombo used his wealth that he generated in the NBA and donated $15M of his own money to help build a hospital in Mbuji-Mayi, a city in the south-central region of the country. Mutombo would often cite helping people as his calling in life, and time and again he showed his belief in his calling.
After he retired from the NBA, Mutombo was named a global ambassador for the NBA, with former US president Barack Obama saying, “he changed the way athletes think about their impact off the court”. Beyond building hospitals in Congo, Mutombo also funded an orphanage in South Africa, held roles with the UN and CDC, and bought school buses for kids in Congo.
He also invested in basketball on the content as well, funneling infrastructure that helped to advance the exposure of African talents to the NBA and college basketball. Many in Africa, view him as the godfather of African basketball, a legend above all others.
Quite often when a popular figure passes away many will come out and say how great that person is because that is what you are supposed to say. In the case of Dikembe Mutombo, words do not properly describe the impact he had on people’s lives and how revered he was internationally as an inspiration and a source of light in a world that is often plunging towards darkness. 58 is far too young for a person as kindhearted and generous as Dikembe Mutombo to leave us. He maximized his time on this earth, and we are all lucky enough to have witnessed it. Rest in power to a true giant of basketball.
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