A

Dikembe Mutombo

1966-

American basketball player

At seven-feet-two-inches, Dikembe Mutombo is a force to be reckoned with under the basket. Known for his strong defense and exceptional shot-blocking abilities, Mutombo is the only player in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA) to be named Defensive Player of the Year four times. After playing in Denver, Atlanta, and Philadelphia, Mutombo was traded to the New Jersey Nets in 2002.

Growing Up in Africa

Dikembe Mutombo, whose full name is Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean Jacque Wamutombo, was born on June 25, 1966, in Kinshasa, Congo (formerly known as Zaire). Mutombo grew up in a six-bedroom home in a comfortable neighborhood with his four brothers and two sisters. As members of the Luba tribe, Mutombo's family belonged to Zaire's upper class. His father, who was educated at the Sorbonne in France, was the director of the city's high schools. Kinshasa, the capital city of 2.5 million, had a very high poverty and crime rate, and Mutombo's parents raised their children in a strict environment that stressed education, respect, and faith.

Growing to nearly seven feet tall during his high school years, Mutombo gave little consideration to playing basketball. He excelled as a soccer goalie and also practiced martial arts. Finally his father insisted that Mutombo try basketball, which the teenager did with reluctance.

However, after cracking his chin on the concrete court during his first practice, leaving him with a still-visible scar, Mutombo was ready more than ever to quit. Only after losing an intense argument with his parents did Mutombo return to the court. Later, he would heap praise on his parents for insisting that they knew what was best for their son.

Overcoming his initial awkwardness on the court, Mutombo was soon playing for the Zaire national team with his brother Ilo. For two years Mutombo traveled with the national team and learned the game. He came to the attention of a U.S. Embassy employee while he was reading the newspapers posted in the windows of the embassy. Herman Henning, a former coach, introduced Mutombo to John Thompson, the coach of the Georgetown University Hoyas. Soon, Mutombo was on his way to Washington, D.C.

Develops Basketball Skills

Mutombo was offered an academic scholarship to Georgetown, where he planned to study medicine, become a doctor, and return to the Congo. During his first year in Washington, D.C., he did not play basketball, instead focusing his energies on learning English. During his sophomore year he joined the team, but played second fiddle to future NBA star Alonzo Mourning. Mutombo began to develop into a legitimate basketball player during his junior year, averaging 10.7 points per game and leading his team in rebounds. By his senior year, Mutombo, now seven-feet-two-inches tall, was garnering the attention of NBA scouts. He finished his final year averaging 15.2 points and 12.2 rebounds per game and was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year. Dikembe, who speaks English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and five African dialects, graduated with a degree in linguistics and diplomacy.

In 1991 25-year-old Mutombo, the oldest player in the NBA draft, was selected as the fourth overall pick by the Denver Nuggets. Because he lacked experience on the floor, critics doubted that Mutombo could play at the professional level, at least not for several years. The Nuggets were willing to take that chance, and it proved to be a very wise gamble. During his rookie year Mutombo finished third in the NBA in rebounding, with an average of 13.2 boards per game. The only rookie to play in the NBA All-Star game, Mutombo came in second to Charlotte Hornets' Larry Johnson in voting for Rookie of the Year.

Developing into one of the best defensive players in the nation, Mutombo was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1995, after leading the league in blocked shots for two consecutive years. And still, he continued to improve, especially on the defensive end, finishing the 1995-96 season as the league's third leading rebounder (11.8 per game) He led the league in blocked shots for four consecutive seasons, from 1992-93 to 1995-96, with 3.5, 4.1, 3.9, and 4.5 blocks per game, respectively. Despite his unmatched success on the defensive end, Mutombo was growing increasing unhappy in Denver. Each year his scoring declined slightly until by the end of the 1995-96 season he was only averaging 11 points per game.

Defensive Genius

Frustrated with being ignored as an offensive force, coupled with another dismal season that produced only thirty-five wins and no playoff berth, at the end of the 1995-96 season Mutombo exercised his free agency and signed a five-year, $56 million contract with the Atlanta Hawks. In his first year with the Hawks he averaged 13.3 points per game and finished second in the NBA in rebounds (11.6) and blocks (3.3) per game. In 1998, racking up 11.4 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game on the season, Mutombo was singled out as the league's best defensive player for the second consecutive year and for the third time in his career. In the same year, Mutombo was named as a starter for the NBA All-Star game for the first time in his career. The following year he reached a career high season average of 14.1 rebounds per game.

Mutombo played with the Hawks until traded to the Philadelphia 76ers just before the trading deadline in February of 2001. Joining an already successful team, Mutombo continued to dominate on defense. In May of 2001 he became the first player in NBA history to receive a fourth Defensive Player of the Year award. In the same year the 76ers made it into the finals of the NBA playoffs but fell to Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers. It was the first time in Mutombo's career that he played in an NBA championship series.

Philanthropic Efforts

In August of 2002, Mutombo was traded to the New Jersey Nets. Having played most of his career injury-free, Mutombo suffered a torn ligament in his right hand, which required surgery in early December, and placing the center on the injured list for the a good share of the remainder of the season. Before being sidelined, Mutombo had racked up a career total of more than 10,000 rebounds, 2,800 blocked shots, and 10,000 points.

Mutombo's success on the court has not made him forget his family or his homeland. He and his wife Rose have a daughter, Carrie Biamba Wamutumbo, and a son, Jean Jacques Dikembe Mutumbo Mplombo, Jr. They are the adoptive parents of four children, belonging to two of Mutombo's deceased brothers. Along with caring for his family financially, Mutombo also gives generously to his homeland. In 1994 he traveled Africa as an international spokesperson for CARE, and in 1999 he established the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation to provide funding for humanitarian assistance in Congo. Already a national hero, his popularity increased in 1996 when he donated the money to provide the Congo national women's team with uniforms for the Olympic Games. In 1999 he contributed $3 million to help establish a new hospital in the country and provided $250,000 in medical supplies to existing hospitals.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: New Jersey Nets, 390 Murray Hill Parkway, E. Rutherford, New Jersey 07073. Email: fans@njnets.com.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 7. Detroit: Gale Group, 1994.

Sports Stars. Series 1-4. Detroit: U•X•L, 1994-98.

Who's Who Among African Americans, 14th ed. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001.

Periodicals

Araton, Harvey. "Wings of a Dove." Sport (November 1998): 70.

Burns, Marty. "Don't Bogart That Joint." Sports Illustrated (March 15, 1999): 79.

Deveney, Sean. "Staring Down Superman." Sporting News (June 18, 2001): 24.

Geffner, Michael P. "The Guardian." Sporting News (March 25, 1996): 40.

Guss, Greg. "Gentle Giant." Sport (April 1998): 74.

Jinkner-Lloyd, Amy. "Being Dikembe Mutombo." Basketball Digest (April 2001): 72.

"NBA's Top Defender." Jet (May 14, 2001): 46.

Schoenfeld, Bruce. "Dikembe Mutombo." Sport (March 1995): 80.

"Telander, Rick. "World Class." Sports Illustrated (November 7, 1994): 150.

"Terms of Endearment." Sports Illustrated (August 1, 1994): 9.

Thomsen, Ian. "Playoff Players: Dikembe Mutombo Vindicated a Hotly Debated Trade by Powering the 76ers Past the Bucks and into the Finals." Sports Illustrated (June 11, 2001): 64.

Other

"Dikembe Mutombo." National Basketball Association. http://www.nba.com/ (December 11, 2002)

"Dikembe Mutombo." Sports Stats.com. http://www.sportsstats.com/national/players/1990/Dikembe_Mutombo (December 11, 2002)

Sketch by Kari Bethel