He was gigantic, and not just in size. Dikembe Mutombo, a legendary basketball player for 18 seasons in the NBA, died at the age of 58 on Monday, September 30.
He suffered from a brain tumor. Four times the best defender in the North American league, famous for his relentless play and his humanitarian actions, the Congolese of origin left his mark on his sport and beyond, particularly in Africa and the DRC.
And to think that he was originally destined to become a doctor… “Doc’ Mutombo” or “Prof’ Mutombo” would have sounded good. But for this giant from the African continent, history had other plans than a white coat. Arriving in the United States at the end of the 1980s, Dikembe Mutombo, an accomplished athlete who stood at 2.18m, preferred the orange ball to the stethoscope. And that is how the ascent of “Mount Mutombo” began.
The apprentice doctor turned basketball player
Long before America, Georgetown and the North American courts, it all began in Central Africa. Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo – his full name – was born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on June 25, 1966, into a large family of the Luba ethnic group.
The destiny of this diligent student – not surprising, with a father who was a school principal and then a senior official in Education – and a jack-of-all-trades sportsman changed in 1987, when the American government offered him a university scholarship. The plan was for the young Dikembe Mutombo to study medicine in the United States and later return to practice it in the DRC. At 21, the tall Congolese flew to Washington DC, where a place awaited him at Georgetown University.
In Uncle Sam's country, the size of the guy did not go unnoticed. John Thompson, the famous coach of the Georgetown university basketball team, convinced him to join his squad. The coach sensed all the potential of the Kinshasa native, in whom he saw an heir to the great Bill Russell. Thompson even invited the man with 11 NBA titles to come and talk to his young protégé.
Established as a pivot, the Congolese left medicine to devote himself to university basketball. He shone with Georgetown and formed a formidable pair with Alonzo Mourning, while obtaining his degree in linguistics – he spoke nine languages – and diplomacy. On the court, the circle was his domain where he reigned. Many attackers broke on this defensive wall. In 1991, the time had come to discover the National Basketball Association (NBA), the prestigious North American basketball league.
Dikembe Mutombo, 25, was selected in fourth position in the draft (lottery for selecting new players) in 1991. Chosen by the Denver Nuggets, he became the third African player to discover the NBA after the Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon (drafted in 1984) and the Sudanese Manute Bol (drafted in 1985). In the daily newspaper L’Équipe, the Congolese said he was “very inspired” by his two elders. “Hakeem Olajuwon is my hero, my idol. He inspired me so much… To see another African, who dominated matches like that too. He allowed us to see further,” he insisted.
In Denver, the rookie made a strong impression from the start. With his enormous arms and his energy, he established himself as a leading pivot and one of the best defenders in the league. The apprenticeship with John Thompson was fruitful. “His identity is rebounds and blocks,” the coach insisted. The implementation was perfect: Dikembe Mutombo multiplied the blocks and chained defensive rebounds. Within a franchise limited in talent, the jewel shone for five seasons and won his first title of Best Defensive Player of the Year in 1995 in the NBA.
In 1996, he joined Atlanta and continued his enormous work in defense. He even added his signature: after having blocked an opponent, he shook his index finger in denial. It was the "Mutombo Finger Wave", or the little provocation of the Congolese who told his blocked and frustrated opponent "Not in my house!". A behavior that was the salt of the NBA and earned him a little more favor from the public, but also a few fines. On the court, number 55 was hell under the baskets. He was again voted Best Defender in 1997 and 1998.
In 2001, the Philadelphia 76ers had an inspiration: to associate Dikembe Mutombo with their fantastic leader, Allen Iverson. The graft was successful, the Congolese won a fourth title of Best Defender of the Year, and for the first time in his career, he found himself in the NBA finals. But the Sixers lost to Shaquille O’Neal’s Los Angeles Lakers.
The rest of the “Mount Mutombo” career was less brilliant. He joined the New Jersey Nets for the 2002-2003 season, but injured, he played little and his team lost in the final against the San Antonio Spurs. After a stint with the New York Knicks, the pivot went to finish his career with the Houston Rockets, from 2004 to 2009. There, he supported the Chinese star Yao Ming and offered himself a few more flashes of brilliance and longevity records. Dikembe Mutombo was finally forced to hang up his boots at 43 years old, due to a serious injury to his left knee.
In 18 years, the giant from Kinshasa managed 3,289 blocks, the second best total behind Hakeem Olajuwon (3,830 blocks). He also finished as the NBA's Most Valuable Defensive Player of the Year four times, a record shared with Ben Wallace, and made the All-Star Game eight times. His jersey has been retired by the Hawks and Nuggets, and Dikembe Mutombo was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2015.
Even before the end of his career, the basketball player was very involved in humanitarian work. In his hoarse voice, he confided to RFI, at the end of 2019, the philosophy that has always driven him: "Giving and giving back to Africa, helping the youth of my continent, whatever the circumstances. This is what makes me move forward and live with such passion." It was this desire that had already led him to join the United States. Dikembe Mutombo did not become a doctor, but he has always been fascinated by medicine and has been widely active in the field of health in the DRC and Africa.
In 1997, he created a foundation in his name. And in 2007, after years of effort and $15 million invested from the former player's pocket, a hospital was opened in Kinshasa, in the commune of Masina. It is named Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital, in honor of Dikembe Mutombo's mother. The former pivot, a member of UNICEF and involved in multiple health and education associations in the United States, the DRC and Africa, repeated during his induction into the Hall of Fame: "I want to guarantee our young people in Africa, and especially women, good access to health care." The Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital has thus made it possible to treat several hundred thousand Congolese patients.
Dikembe Mutombo, who had seven children with his wife Rose, four of whom were adopted, also worked hard to open a school in Mbuji-Mayi in 2021: the Samuel Mutombo Institute of Science and Entrepreneurship, named after his father. The school, built where the Mutombo family once resided, serves more than 400 students who receive scholarships for their education. At the inauguration, the philanthropist simply told The Hoya, Georgetown University’s newspaper: “This is how I see life. I feel like I’m fulfilling my mission.”
John Thompson, one of the mentors of “Mount Mutombo”, had said: “Dikembe uses the talents that God gave him to make sure that he takes care of people. I will always respect him for that.” At the end of 2022, the basketball player had to undergo surgery for a brain tumor and follow a treatment protocol. With his disappearance, basketball and the DRC lose more, much more than a great basketball player.
