Dikembe Mutombo is a Congolese-American former international basketball player who played in the NBA. The ex-center player launched his career in 1991 and retired as a legend in 2009. Aside from basketball, Mutombo is also known for its charitable activities. Read more about him below.
Dikembe Mutombo Organic
Mutombo was born Dikembe Mutombo MpolondoMukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo on June 25, 1966. His parents, Samuel and Biamba Marie Mutombo, belong to the Luba ethnic group. He grew up with his eleven siblings in Leopoldville (now Kinshasa) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At the age of 21, Dikembe moved to the United States to continue his education. He enrolled at Georgetown University on training scholarships offered by US-AID. Dikembe Mutombo had intended to study medicine, but as luck would have it, he was recruited to play basketball by coach John Thompson. He studied in the ESL (English as a Second or Foreign Language) program in Georgetown. In his freshman year, Mutombo attended a basketball game and was able to block 12 shots. He spoke almost no English at the time. As his academic years progressed, he became more fluent in English. He worked as an intern for the United States Congress and also for the World Bank, as did many other Washington-area college students. This should meet the requirements for graduation. In 1991, Mutombo received his BA in Linguistics and Diplomacy.
career
Dikembe Mutombo began his basketball career right out of school with the Denver Nuggets after the basketball team drafted him in the 1991 NBA draft. The player was considered the top pick in the draft. His shot blocking skills immediately had a strong impact across the league. As Mutombo continued to excel, he created his own triumphant streak. He moved his right index finger towards a player and wiggled it back and forth after a player’s shot was successfully blocked. Endorsements came the same year he developed this move, including an invitation to appear in the Adidas ad with a mantra Man don’t fly in the house of Mutombonoting his remarkable skills as a shot blocker.
In the 1993-1994 season, the Legend was selected for the All-Star Team and as you can imagine, he didn’t fail to prove that he was one of the strongest defensive players in the league. He went on to score big rebound and block counts. As a result, he helped Denver Nuggets win three straight games to set off a major playoff mess and placed them as the first eighth seed to defeat the first seed in an NBA game.
For his exceptional skills in his first season, he was selected for his second All-Star Game (1995-1996 NBA season). Again, Mutombo pulled off his feat and was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Despite the wins he brought in for Denver Nuggets, the team didn’t give him any quality support. His request for a 10-year contract was denied. He had to retire from the Denver Nuggets because of this rejection. Then-CEO Bernie Bickerstaff regretted the move, describing it as his biggest mistake as a GM. After leaving Nuggets, Mutombo became a free agent.
Luckily, he landed a 5-year, $55 million free agent deal with the Atlanta Hawks . As with every team he played for, in Atlanta, Hawks began to record wins. Mutombo led the team to many wins alongside Hawks All-Star, Steve Smith, in 1996-1997. His role on the team earned him another major title – Defensive Player of the Year title.He continued his forays into exceptional defensive numbers with his new team. In the 1998-1999 lockout season, he again received the NBA’s IBM Award for Player of the Year. The winner was determined digitally.
The award was well-deserved, but bad news came when the NBA banned his signing move that same year. After a long protest, he dropped his personal triumphal streak, but continued his winning streak.
As of the 2001 trade date, the Atlanta Hawks traded Mutombo to the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers (aka the Sixers) in exchange for other players. He has put in an exceptional performance for his team, helping them go from a 95-74 deficit to 111-110 in the fourth quarter. He also helped the team get to the NBA Finals . This season Sixers pulled an upset and won the Los Angeles Lakers (That was the only playoff game the Lakers lost this season.)
This was the fourth time he was named Defensive Player of the Year. When his agency deal with Philadelphia 76ers expired, the player signed an additional four-year contract with the team, valued at $68 million. The next year the table turned in the Eastern Conference rankings when Sixers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs as New Jersey Nets propelled them to the top of the standings. The team reached the final and was supposed to play against the German national team Laker s. As a result, Sixerstraded Mutombo to the New Jersey Nets when asked to help hold their own against Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan. However, Mutombo’s time with the New Jersey Nets was marred by injuries. This not only limited the number of games he attended but also affected his performance.
After struggling with his injury, he joined the New York Knicks in 2003 on a two-year deal. After a commanding performance on the team, including 11 blocks against superior rivals New Jersey Nets, he was once again traded to the Chicago Bulls in 2004.
Chicago Bulls He also made trades with some Houston Rockets players prior to the 2004-2005 season. In his first season with the Houston Rockets, the high-energy player averaged 15.2 MPG, 5.3 RPG, and 4.0 PPG.
At the age of 40, his team defeated the Denver Nuggets (that was his former team). His great performance in the game made him the oldest player in NBA history to record 20+ rebounds in a game at 22. He also helped the team win 12 more games during the 2007–08 season, completing a 22-win mark. He also recorded 5 blocked shots and moved ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in his entire career, behind only Hakeem Olajuwon. He remained for some time as an unsigned free agent after that performance, but later signed with Huston in the 2008–09 season. After a fulfilling time in basketball and an injury in his last game, Dikembe Mutombo retired not only as a basketball superstar but also as an icon in 2009.
His NBA career stats throughout his career are as follows; Points 11,729 (9.8 ppg) Rebounds 12,359 (10.3 RPG) Blocks 3,289 (2.8 bpg). Mutombo was honored for both his basketball career and his humanitarian work. He is multilingual; speaks English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and five Central African varieties including Lingala and Tshiluba.
Wealth (income and earnings)
Mutombo no longer plays basketball, but while he was still active, he earned about $140 million in salary. This has helped him keep a fortune for himself. He is currently said to be worth $75 million.
Dikembe Mutombo’s family – wife, son
Mutombo is happily married. He missed marrying his ex-lover Michelle Roberts, a medical student who declined to sign a prenup the day before the wedding. The athlete eventually gave the marriage a second chance by marrying his wife, Rose, who is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The lovers are happy together. The duo is blessed with six children (four of the six will be adopted). One of Mutombo’s adopted children is his son, who is 1.80 m tall. He adopted the 17-year-old because it reminds him of his youth.
Height
Mutombo is tall, dark and handsome. These are basically the traits most women admire in men. As for his height, Mutombo stands at 7 ft 2 in (2.18) tall – much taller than the average American male. His body weight is 120 kg.
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