The basketball world lost one of it’s best defenders, but an even better person when Dikembe Mutombo died Sept. 30 from brain cancer at 58 years old.
The eight-time NBA All-Star was one of the best in the business on the defensive side of the ball. Mutombo led the league in blocks for five consecutive seasons and sits second all-time in rejections behind Hakeem Olajuwon.
Over his accolade-filled career, Mutombo played 18 seasons for six different NBA teams spanning from the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets.
Mutombo’s signature finger-wag, which he used after a successful block and to dissuade anyone from entering the paint, became an instant classic in basketball culture. It’s a symbol that is used by millions across the world from pickup games to NBA players who were inspired by the late shot-blocker.
Not only did the finger-wag become a cultural symbol, Mutombo’s signature move spawned one of the best commercials of my lifetime in 2013. In the Geico ad, the four-time Defensive Player of the Year uses his shot-blocking prowess to reject anything that comes his way in everyday situations. All while Mutombo taunts his victims by shouting “Not in my house!”
When the league announced the death of Mutombo, commissioner Adam Silver issued a statement saying, “Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life. On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in the history of the NBA. Off the floor, he poured his heart and soul into helping others.”
The center almost always towered over everyone else on the basketball court, his defensive intensity during games was unmatched. If you only watched him play basketball, you likely wouldn’t know that Mutombo was actually a gentle giant who donated millions of his own money to help those less fortunate.
Mutombo was well known for his accomplishments on the basketball floor, but what’s even more impressive is what he did off the court, and how he did it with a big smile.
Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mutombo always stuck to his roots and gave back to the community that helped raise him. The 7-foot-2 Mutombo was known for his humanitarian work that among many other accomplishments, resulted in the establishment of the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation in 1997, which served to help better education and life for those in the DRC.
Mutombo used his pain as a vessel to help others. His mother, Biamba Marie, died in 1998 due to a stroke. He had been unable to get her proper care in a hospital, which inspired him to open a hospital in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC. The Biamba Marie Mutombo hospital, which opened its doors in 2006, was accompanied by 300 beds. Mutombo paid $15 million out of his own pocket to fund the project.
His son, Ryan Mutombo, made a heartfelt post to Instagram following his father’s death highlighting the joy Mutombo brought to thousands of lives.
“At times, I thought of my dad as a super-human. The child in me would sigh to hear that this was never actually the case,” Ryan Mutombo wrote.“My dad was a regular man who would stop at no lengths to honor the world, its people and its creator. He loved others with every ounce of his being. That’s what made him so accessible. That’s what made him real.”
Mutombo was immortalized in basketball history during his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
His speech that night in Springfield, Massachusetts lasted nine minutes. About 30 seconds of that speech was about himself, and the rest was dedicated to other people who impacted his career.
“My life’s mission is to continue to change the living conditions of the people of Africa,” Mutombo said. “I might have not won the championship, but I am a champion to so many people’s hearts.”
The next time you see someone block a shot and hit the finger-wag, think about the man behind that gesture and how he changed the lives of so many through his own generosity.
