The National Basketball Association (NBA) is where the best of the best basketball players in the world compete for a championship. The league was full of talent when it began in 1949, and it still is today. Dikembe Mutombo, born in 1966 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was one of those special players.
Mutombo grew up with nine siblings, and his father was a teacher at Congo’s Department of Education. In the Congo, there were very high infant mortality rates. When he was a child, he wondered how he could make a difference and how he could enhance the health conditions of his community. With that in mind, Mutombu was going to Georgetown University to be a doctor, but former NBA player and coach, John Thompson, got Mutombo on the basketball team because of his height.
In college, he averaged 15.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 4.7 blocks. He was ‘7 2’’ and a great defender, because he just blocked shots all the time. Because of his talent he was drafted into the NBA in 1991. A few years into the league, Mutombo married Rose in 1996. They had one child, Ryan Mutombu.
During his NBA career, his nickname was “Mount Mutombo” because of his defense. Mutombo blocked 3,289 shots while in the NBA. Whenever he blocked a shot he would wag his finger to discourage someone from trying to make a shot over him. He would one day meet his match when Michael Jordan dunked on him.
Mutombo played 18 seasons in the NBA. He played for Denver (1991-96), Atlanta (1996-2001), Philadelphia (2001-02), New Jersey (2002-03), New York (2003-04), and Houston (2004-09). In those 18 seasons, Mutombo didn’t win a championship, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t a great player.
The legend retired in 2009 with the Houston Rockets. He retired when a tendon on his knee ruptured. When he finished his NBA career, Mutombo decided to give back to his community. The Dikembe Mutombo Foundation enhanced health, education, and life in the Congo. He also paid for the USA’s women’s basketball team to go to the Olympic Games in Atlanta. In 2015, he was entered into the hall of fame.
Later on in 2022, he was diagnosed with cancer. With that news he started doing some treatments, but unfortunately, on September 30, 2024, Dikembe Mutombo passed away from cancer. Mutombo was a great NBA player and person. I believe his life and legacy will inspire other people to be great, whether it’s at sports or something else.
