From Giannis Antetokounmpo to women’s coffee farms, passing through the Basketball Africa League: the Hall of Famer has not stopped inspiring and helping the African people.
This content is taken from an article by Marc J. Spears for Andscapetranslated into Italian by Alessandro Di Marzo for Around the Game.
Drums thundered to the beat, trumpets rang enthusiastically, men dressed as lions roared. Those who danced fully embodied the beautiful native sound… e Dikembe Mutombo he would show everyone his smile, raising those hands that were responsible for many plays (and blocks) in the NBA.
Even after the final siren of the first game of the Basketball Africa Leaguefor Mutombo & Co. the party was still far from over. “I’m home! I’m home!” the Hall of Famer exclaimed.
In 1987 Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo left the Democratic Republic of Congo with a scholarship that would lead him to Georgetown University, Washington, in the court of legendary coach John Thompson. Forget basketball, at least initially: his dream was in fact to become a doctor, and in fact he obtained a degree, although not in medicine, but in linguistics and international relations.
After college, however, it was clear that his career would be in the world of basketball. Mutombo ended his career by being remembered as one of the greatest players ever passed by Georgetown, ready to establish himself in the NBA and then in Springfield, but above all by establishing himself as one of the most relevant faces in representing the NBA in Africaand viceversa.
BAL kicked off its second season on March 5 at the Dakar Arena, in Senegaland Mutombo could not fail to attend the event.
“Its value is inestimable”has explained Mark TatumCOO and deputy commissioner of the NBA. “Dikembe not only represents the NBA, he is also the pivot of the sport across the continent. His presence here means a lot to us, he is the model for all young African players. “
Hakeem Olajuwon was the first African chosen in a NBA Draft, in 1984 from absolute first choice, and still today the 2-time NBA champion with the Rockets is rightly considered the best African player of all time. However, the bridge between the USA and Africa was created by Mutombo.
After being called to fourth overall by the Nuggets in 1991, David Star she shook his hand and, shortly after, told him that she would like to go to Africa with him. After two years, the two teamed up with other players to meet with the anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela a Johannesburg.
Stern understood the importance of promoting the NBA outside the American continent, and he demonstrated this by setting up some matches in Europe and also granting the rights to Chinese TVs, not to mention the program. Basketball Without Borders. Even with Mutombo the foresight is all there to be seen, since the latter was named first NBA global ambassador by the former commissioner in 2009.
“I believed in Stern, he had the ability and knowledge to make things happen. He was a very intelligent man, I am happy that Adam Silver and Tatum have decided to follow in David’s footsteps: they want to keep the promise made to him, that of making Africa shine. “
– Dikembe Mutombo
Mutombo was an All-Star 8 times and won 4 Defender of the Year awards. His # 55 kit was withdrawn by the Hawks and Nuggets. Another award of great importance, which however is less talked about, is the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, won by the Congolese twice “For having served the community in a splendid way and for having dedicated himself to it.”
His legacy is still very much present today in leading figures of the current NBA: from the president Raptors Masai Ujuri to the MVP of the Finals in office Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Greek Freak won the title last year, has already captured 2 MVP awards and has been called up for 6 All-Star Games in his career, but he is the first to consider Olajuwon and Mutombo as the true fathers of African basketball (Giannis was born and raised in Greece, but has Nigerian origins).
“I knew who he was. He came up to me and he told me that I should always take care of my body, from good training to sleep. He wanted to help me make my career as long as possible, because he believed many were talented, but didn’t last due to physical problems. He ordered me never to leave the arena without first treating my knees and ankles with ice. Since that time, I have been doing it every day. Many people are inspired by him, he is involved in many events concerning the African continent. “
– Giannis Antetokounmpo
Mutombo’s impact in Africa has been clearly felt even off the pitch since the mid-1990s. In 1996 she paid the travel expenses to the Congo women’s national team to reach Atlanta, where the Olympics were to be played; the following year, then, she founded the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, “With the aim of improving the health, education and quality of life of the people in Congo.”
But the list doesn’t end there. In 2009, she invested millions of dollars to open a hospital near Kinshasa, the Congolese capital, as well as home to about 7.5 million people living in poverty. Beyond that, Mutombo expanded the Basketball Without Borders program, with basketball activities in Africa, and even played the 2015 NBA Africa Game.
“I realized that in this world I don’t live alone, I am surrounded by people of different cultures, languages and backgrounds. I don’t take care of Congolese or African people, I just take care of people. What kind of investment are we making to ensure that the next generations have the resources they need for the future? I often ask myself this. Many are not doing enough, especially in Africa. Much remains to be done, we must pool our resources for a better future. There is a possibility that I will no longer live in Africa in the future, but I want to help this generation first, as little or nothing has been given to mine. “
– Dikembe Mutombo
The help of Deke he went as far as farms run by African women, through the foundation Mutombo Coffee, born in 2021 as a development of a 2014 initiative, Women in Coffee Initiative. Mbula Musau, founder of Utake Coffee Limited in Kenya, spoke about Mutombo’s contribution also in this sector:
“I had previously heard Mutombo’s name because my dad was a huge basketball fan and we watched the NBA together every Sunday afternoon. Decades later, I was surprised when he got into this business. He asked me if he was the same person, and he was. After years of seeing him on the pitch, thousands of kilometers away, he is now closer than you might think. “
– Mbula Musau
The BAL was supposed to start in 2020, but due to the pandemic, everything has been postponed. The Playoffs are expected to take place in Kigali, in Rwandaand of course Mutombo has planned to be there.
The hope of the NBA is to ensure that, thanks to the BAL, many African basketball talents can show off to cultivate the dream of becoming professionals and one day playing overseas.
Having a professional basketball league on your continent, meanwhile, already means a lot to Mutombo:
“It was exciting, a dream that comes true, after all the resources invested and the passion we put into making the Game grow here. Some guys thanked me personally, sometimes without saying anything else. Now I am realizing what we have achieved. “
– Dikembe Mutombo
