He was gigantic, and not just in size. Dikembe Mutombo, legendary basketball player for 18 seasons in the NBA, died at the age of 58 this Monday, September 30. He suffered from a brain tumor. Quadruple best defender in the North American league, famous for his fierce play and his humanitarian actions, the Congolese native has left his mark on his sport and beyond, particularly in Africa and the DRC.
And to think that originally, he intended to become a doctor… “Doc’ Mutombo” or “Prof’ Mutombo”, that 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 peaking at 2.18m, favored the orange ball over the stethoscope. And so began the ascent of “Mount Mutombo”.
The apprentice doctor who became a basketball player
Long before America, Georgetown and North American prosecutors, it all began in Central Africa. Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo – his full name – was born in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on June 25, 1966, within 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 athlete changed in 1987, when the American government offered him a university scholarship. The plan is for young Dikembe Mutombo to study medicine in the United States to return to practice it later 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 does not go unnoticed. John Thompson, famous coach of the Georgetown university basketball team, convinced him to join his squad. The coach felt the full potential of the Kinshasa man, in whom he sees an heir to the great Bill Russell. Thompson even invites the man with 11 NBA titles to come and speak to his young foal.
“ Bill Russell told me, “You can do it.” He was there for five days and he spoke to me for three or four hours each day. This man was so intelligent. He convinced me that I could do it », Confided Dikembe Mutombo to Sports Illustrated.
Installed as a pivot, the Congolese abandoned medicine to devote himself to university basketball. He shines with Georgetown and forms a formidable pair with Alonzo Mourning, while obtaining his degree in linguistics – he masters nine languages – and diplomacy. On the floor, the circle is his domain where he reigns. Many attackers broke through this defensive wall. In 1991, the time came to discover the National Basketball Association (NBA), the prestigious North American basketball league.
“Not in my house!” »
Dikembe Mutombo, 25, was selected in fourth position in the 1991 draft (lottery for selecting new players). 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). To the daily L’Équipe, the Congolese will say 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. It allowed us to see further “, he will insist.
In Denver, the rookie (beginner) made a strong impression from his debut. With his enormous arms and his energy, he established himself as a leading pivot and as one of the best defenders in the league. The apprenticeship with John Thompson was fruitful. “ His identity is rebounds and blocks », insisted the coach. The implementation is perfect: Dikembe Mutombo multiplies the counterattacks and strings together defensive rebounds. Within a franchise limited in talent, the jewel shined for five seasons and won his first title of Best Defender of the Year in 1995 in the NBA.
In 1996, he joined Atlanta and continued his enormous work on defense. He even adds his signature: after countering an opponent, he shakes his index finger as a sign of denial. It is the “Mutombo Finger Wave”, or the little provocation of the Congolese which means to his countered and frustrated opponent “Not in my house!” » (“Not at my house!”). A behavior which makes the NBA salt and earns it a little more favor from the public, but also some fines. On the floors, number 55 is hell under the baskets. He was again voted Best Defender in 1997 and 1998.
In 2001, the Philadelphia 76ers had an inspiration: combining Dikembe Mutombo with their fantastic leader, Allen Iverson. The transplant 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 career of “Mount Mutombo” is 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 freelance stint with the New York Knicks, the pivot left to finish his career with the Houston Rockets, from 2004 to 2009. There, he supported Chinese star Yao Ming and enjoyed a few more highlights and records. longevity. Dikembe Mutombo was finally forced to retire at the age of 43, due to a serious injury to his left knee.
In 18 years, the Kinshasa giant has managed 3,289 blocks, the second best total behind Hakeem Olajuwon (3,830 blocks). He also finished as Defensive Player of the Year four times, a record shared with Ben Wallace, and played in the All-Star Game eight times. His jersey was retired by the Hawks and Nuggets, and Dikembe Mutombo was entered into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2015.
A humanitarian on a mission for health and education
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: “ Give and give back to Africa, help 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 was always fascinated by medicine and worked extensively 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 efforts and 15 million dollars 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 ex-pivotal member, 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 in particular women, good access to health care. » The Biamba Marie Mutombo hospital has 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 have a school opened in Mbuji-Mayi in 2021: the Samuel Mutombo Institute of Science and Entrepreneurship, named in name of his father. The school, built where the Mutombo family resided long ago, accommodates more than 400 students who benefit from a scholarship for their education. During the inauguration, the philanthropist simply told The Hoya, the newspaper of Georgetown University: “ This is how I see life. I feel like I’m fulfilling my mission. »
John Thompson, one of the mentors of “Mount Mutombo”, said: “ Dikembe uses his God-given talents to ensure he takes care of people. I will always respect him for that. » At the end of 2022, the basketball player had to undergo an operation 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.