He is often treated as if he were a punchline, sometimes because of his appearance and his age and sometimes because of his unique baritone, but the fact of the matter is that as a human being, Dikembe Mutombo is no joke. Athletically, Mutombo will be remembered as one of the finest shot-blockers in basketball history (he ranks second to Hakeem Olajuwon for most blocks in NBA history). But Mutombo’s ultimate legacay will be that of a remarkable humanitarian. An incredibly bright man (with degrees from Georgetown in linguistics and diplomacy, Mutombo has never forgotten the land from which he came. It was Zaire when he left and is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. He formed the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation to raise money to help improve living conditions in the Congo, and he has worked tirelessly within the NBA to garner financial support from his peers, and his efforts have also persuaded many of them to visit the Congo with him and perform clinics for the country’s youth. His greatest single contribution to the people of his homeland is the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital (named for his mother) in his hometown of Kinshasa, the first new facility of its kind in the area in four decades. Mutombo donated a total of over $18 million himself to the construction and completion of the $29 million dollar project.
In an era when professional athletes are often spoiled and socially ignorant and irresponsible, Mutombo is a shining example of how a man or woman can use their athletic gifts for the betterment of others. His great care and compassion earned him a mention during the State of the Union address delivered by President Bush last night, as well as a seat among the honored guests. Mutombo is a credit to his homeland and to his profession, and it is his character, rather than his prodigious height, that will always make him a giant among men.
Chief,
Mutombo is a solid man! Great piece buddy. I think it is amazing how little the NBA hyped Mutombo’s accomplishments over the past decade. Go figure!
I do appreciate his humanitarian work…but I also appreciated him wagging his finger at Jordan, hence motivating him to dunk on his grill one last time from the baseline!
Darth
Ahh, one of those stories that I do not get to read often enough. I do hear one every now and then but I do not remember reading one lately that did not have a negative twist some where in the story. It is a helluva lot better reading for me when I can read about the good stuff like this story. Thank you Chief.