"Mutombo believes that God has given him this opportunity to do great things for his country, especially in health care." - Tom Keefe, president of the International Medical Equipment Collaborative
Biography:
Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean Jacque Wamutombo was born on June 6, 1966. The son of a schoolmaster, Dikembe knew he wanted to be a doctor since the age of 9. Considering the coniditions in Kinshasa, Congo, the town of his birth, this is a admirable goal. When he was old enough, his father sent him off to Georgetown University. With an academic scholarship waiting for him, Dikembe's father told him not to come home until he had an education.
Enrolled as a pre-med, college started off well enough for Mutombo. He was quickly noticed by John Thompson, the basketball coach for Georgetown. However, it would be hard to not notice this 7 foot tall African man with a deep bellowing voice. John talked with Dikembe for several weeks, before Mutombo agreed to play basketball with the college team. Having had other big men before Dikembe, Thompson knew what to do when he starting molding Mutombo into the NBA star he would become. Dikembe, knowing that his future would be on the court, as opposed to beside the operating table, switched his major to double major in both Diplomacy and Linguistics. He graduated college in 1991.
Later in that year, Mutombo was drafted as the fourth overal pick in the 1991 NBA Draft. He was chosen be the then (and still) struggling Denver Nuggets. His tall stature made him a dominating force at center. While Dikembe was the first Nugget to pull down 1,000 rebounds in one season, he was not enough to turn around the Nugget's poor performances. When his contract wore out, he said goodbye to Denver and hello to Hotlanta. He signed a large contract with Atlanta, and donned the red jersey of the Hawks.
Even though he changed jerseys, Dikembe would not change his playing style. He continued to be a dominating presence in the paint. From the 95-96 season to the 97-98, Mutombo lead the league in blocked shots. He is the only player to lead the league in blocks for three consecutive seasons. On February 2, 2001 Mutombo and teammate Roshown McLeod were both traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Theo Ratliff, Toni Kukoc, Nazr Mohammed and Juan "Pepe" Sanchez. Dikembo only played one season with the 76ers before being traded again, this time to the New Jersey Nets for Kieth Van Horn and Todd MacCulloch. The Nets were in the middle of a playoff push, and wanted a strong inside presence to balance out Jason Kidd's amazing play at point guard.
Again, Dikembe would not see much time on the court. Not due to a loss of playing ability, or the presence of a better player, but for something entirely different. During a game with the epitome of NBA crappiness, the Los Angeles Clippers, Mutombo was hit on the wrist by Eric Piatkowski, severly hurting his wrist and causing him to miss 3 months so he could heal properly. Later in that season, Mutombo missed four more games because of the untimely death of his brother.
Lucky for Dikembe, the Nets still had plenty of basketball to play that season. Even though he re-aggrivated his wrist injury in the playoffs, he was still able to make appearances at the Eastern Conference finals, and the 2003 NBA finals. Even though he was getting on in age (as basketball players go), and losing his mobility, he always played his hardest while on the floor. During his first game back, Dikembe was on the floor, diving after a loose ball within 2 minutes of stepping onto the court!
The Nets lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the finals, and while his team might have lost off the court, Dikembe has been busy making winners off the court. He adopted two of his nieces and nephews and brought the four of them to America so they could receive a better education. However, his charity is not just limited to family members. Dikembe provided funding and equipment so Congo's women's basketball team could travel and play at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He is the voice of several public service announcements encouraging central African parents to immunize their children against polio. On January 14, 1999, Dikembe spoke in front of the Global Meeting of Generations, which was held in Washington, D.C. One year later, he received the President's Service Award, the highest honor one could get for charity work and volunteer service.
"When you take the elevator up to reach the top, please don't forget to send the elevator back down, so that someone else can take it to the top ... This is my way of sending the elevator down." - Dikembe Mutombo
Dikembe Mutombo never became a doctor, but that didn't stop him from improving the healthcare in his native country. In 1997, he founded the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation. The purpose of this foundation is to help healthcare and the overall well being of humans in central Africa. Specifically, this group delivers health care services, educates and provides activities which display a healthier life-style, research diseases found in a tropical climate and promote activities that have a positive impact on the health of individuals and societies. In his hometown of Kinshasa, the DMF is building a brand new, $14 million dollar hospital. Over one fourth of the price for this hospital is being paid for by Dikembe Mutombo. Kinda makes the $50 bucks you gave to charity last year look pathetic, eh?
Statistics:
Number: #55
Height: 7-2
Weight: 265 lbs.
Position: C
8 time All-Star
Defensive player of the year: 1995, 97, 98, 2001
Fun Fact: Dikembe Mutombo can fluently speak 9 languages!
Career Totals:
Rebounds
YR TM G GS MIN FG FG% 3P 3P% FT FT% STL BLK TO PF DQ OFF DEF TOT AST PTS
91-92 Den 71 0 2716 428-869 .493 0-0 .000 321-500 .642 43 210 252 273 1 316 554 870 156 1177
92-93 Den 82 82 3029 398-781 .510 0-0 .000 335-492 .681 43 287 216 284 5 344 726 1070 147 1131
93-94 Den 82 82 2853 365-642 .569 0-1 .000 256-439 .583 59 336 206 262 2 286 685 971 127 986
94-95 Den 82 82 3100 349-628 .556 0-0 .000 248-379 .654 40 321 192 284 2 319 710 1029 113 946
95-96 Den 74 74 2713 284-569 .499 0-1 .000 246-354 .695 38 332 150 258 4 249 622 871 108 814
96-97 Atl 80 80 2973 380-721 .527 0-0 .000 306-434 .705 49 264 186 249 3 268 661 929 110 1066
97-98 Atl 82 82 2917 399-743 .537 0-0 .000 303-452 .670 34 277 168 254 1 276 656 932 82 1101
98-99 Atl 50 50 1829 173-338 .512 0-0 .000 195-285 .684 16 147 94 145 2 192 418 610 57 541
99-00 Atl 82 82 2984 322-573 .562 0-0 .000 298-421 .708 27 269 174 248 3 304 853 1157 105 942
00-01 Atl 49 49 1716 169-354 .477 0-0 .000 107-154 .695 20 137 92 139 2 188 505 693 54 445
00-01 Phi 26 26 875 100-202 .495 0-0 .000 104-137 .759 9 66 52 65 0 119 203 322 22 304
01-02 Phi 80 80 2907 321-641 .501 0-0 .000 278-364 .764 29 190 156 242 2 254 609 863 83 920
02-03 Njn 24 16 514 49-131 .374 0-0 .000 40-55 .727 4 37 34 54 0 54 99 153 19 138
Rebounds
G GS MIN FG FG% 3P 3P% FT FT% STL BLK TO PF DQ OFF DEF TOT AST PTS
Totals: 864 785 31126 3737-7192 520 0-2 .000 3037-4466 .680 411 2873 1972 2757 27 3169 7301 10470 1183 10511
Career Averages:
G GS MIN FG FG% 3P 3P% FT FT% STL BLK TO PF DQ OFF DEF TOT AST PTS
Totals 864 785 36.0 4.3-8.3 .520 0.0-0.0 .000 3.5-5.2 .680 0.5 3.3 2.3 3.2 0.0 3.7 8.5 12.2 1.4 12.2
DMF Contact Info:
Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, Inc.
4413 Northside Pkwy., Suite 137
Atlanta, GA 30327
Telephone: (404) 262-2109
Email: info@dmf.org
Sources:
www.time.com/time/europe/hero/mutombo.html
sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=425
www.infoplease.com/ipsa/A0003935.html
www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/basketball/5514091.htm
www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol12no4/baobab.htm
mysite.verizon.net/vzn05m7m/nba/mutombo.html