Where are They Now: Dikembe Mutombo

Dikembe Mutombo was a player that came from the Congo to go on to play for John Thompson and Georgetown University. Might I add a great player at that. He stands 7’2’’ tall and at center he was one of the most prolific defenders that have ever hit the United States. Mutombo came to the country wanting to be a doctor but Thompson talked him into becoming a player for the university. In time many people were convinced he wanted that career because in the late 90’s he came up with a great idea to become a humanitarian and build a hospital in Congo with his own money. This wasn’t just a great gesture; it was life changing for the people of Africa.

Through his career he has seen the highs and lows of the NBA but that didn’t stop Mutombo from competing at the highest level. Being a 4-time Defensive Player of the Year isn’t that shabby either. That just doesn’t happen by accident. It was the hard and long days at the gym perfecting his craft. I just always was annoyed when people would say “he is big, he has to be a great defender and block shots”. I would say to that why he is by himself then as the best. That shows you it’s a gift to be great not only size. Mutombo was selected in the 1991 NBA draft as the 4^th overall pick by the Denver Nuggets. This was a team that had its struggles through the years leading up to Mutombo’s arrival and when he landed he changed the culture of the team. They didn’t know what it felt like to be a winner. That is what the Congolese native brought to the table.

Who can forget what Mutombo was known for and that was the finger wave when he blocked a shot. Some loved it and some hated it. If you hated it was because he blocked one of your favorite players or team shot. I loved it because he brought to the NBA confidence like a Michael Jordan or Patrick Ewing that we’ve haven’t seen for so long. There were times he would block a Knick’s player shot and wave the finger and I would yell at the TV as a teen and say “put that damn finger down” haha, but you gotta love it and respect it. Lastly Mutombo as I said has done everything right as being the good guy in life by giving back to his community but this year he was questioned and connected with a gold scam that happened in 2010. However, it came to light this year. Mutombo might be a humanitarian but he is a businessman as well.

Mutombo brought in some investors and traders to a New York Hotel to go over the possibilities of earning more wealth and I mean tens of millions of dollars at that (O’Brien, 2012). He even had a power point presentation to show them. These investors were very interested in this and they went to Congo to find these tons of gold that Mutombo was telling them about. The whole point was to smuggle the gold into the country while buying low and sell market price. It came out to be a big scam that even Mutombo didn’t know about. Well that is what the media is saying. As Mutombo has no comment on. It’s a pretty sad story to hear that a NBA great was a part of a messy situation like this. But for now let’s remember Mutombo as one of the best centers that has ever played the game. Were you a Mutombo fan and if so what was your favorite memory of him.

 

References

O’Brien, L. Dikembe Mutombo And The Case Of The Missing Congolese Gold. Deadspin.com, 1 March 2012, http://deadspin.com/5889660/dikembe-mutombo-and-the-case-of-the-missing-congolese-gold, Retrieved 24 November 2012.