Reflecting on Dikembe Mutombo's Legacy
Dikembe Mutombo has passed away at age 58, two years after being diagnosed with brain cancer. Mutombo was inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015 after an 18 year NBA career during which he won four Defensive Player of the Year awards (1995, 1997-98, 2001), earned eight All-Star selections (1992, 1995-98, 2000-02), and made the All-Defensive Team six times (1995, 1997-98, 1999, 2001-02). Mutombo won three shot blocking titles (1994-96) and two rebounding crowns (2000-01). Mutombo punctuated most of his blocked shots with his famous finger wag, reminding opposing players not to venture into the paint while he patrolled it. He ranks second in ABA/NBA history in career blocked shots (3289) and he ranks seventh in ABA/NBA history in career blocked shots per game (2.7). Blocked shots became an official ABA statistic in 1972-73, and they became an official NBA statistic in 1973-74.
Mutombo starred at Georgetown while being coached by Hall of Famer John Thompson and playing alongside Hall of Famer Alonzo Mourning. Mutombo won the Big East Defensive Player of the Year award twice (1990-91), and he averaged 9.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, and 3.7 bpg at Georgetown before the Denver Nuggets selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 1991 NBA Draft. Mutombo finished second to Larry Johnson in Rookie of the Year voting after averaging 16.6 ppg (which turned out to be his career-high), 12.3 rpg (third in the NBA), and 3.0 bpg (fifth in the NBA).
Mutombo's first appearance in the NBA playoffs ranks as perhaps his most memorable, challenged only by his key role in Philadelphia's most recent trip to the NBA Finals (2001). In 1994, Mutombo's eighth seeded Nuggets shocked the top seeded Seattle SuperSonics back when first round playoff series were still contested in a best of five format. Mutombo averaged 12.6 ppg and 12.2 rpg versus Seattle but his presence was most felt as a rim protector, as his 6.2 bpg wreaked havoc against the SuperSonics' offensive attack. Mutombo lying on the court cradling the basketball in two hands after Denver's 98-94 game five win is one of the iconic images in NBA history. The Nuggets lost 4-3 to the Utah Jazz in the second round of the 1994 playoffs despite Mutombo's 13.7 ppg, 11.9 rpg, and 5.4 bpg.
Mutombo spent five seasons in Denver and then signed with the Atlanta Hawks as a free agent. He played four seasons with the Hawks before being traded to Philadelphia in the middle of his fifth Atlanta season. Mutombo's defense and rebounding were just what the 76ers needed to complement Allen Iverson's explosive offensive skills. In the 2001 playoffs, Mutombo averaged 13.9 ppg, 13.7 rpg, and a league-leading 3.1 bpg as the 76ers advanced to the NBA Finals before losing 4-1 to the powerful L.A. Lakers led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. The 76ers were the only team to win a playoff game versus the 2001 Lakers.
Mutombo lasted just one more season with the 76ers before they traded him to the New Jersey Nets for Keith Van Horn and Todd MacCulloch. Mutombo was no longer an All-Star level player, but he was a reserve for the Nets when they reached the 2003 NBA Finals before losing in six games to the San Antonio Spurs.
Mutombo spent the 2003-04 season with the New York Knicks, and then he finished his career with five seasons in Houston. In addition to his shotblocking prowess, he scored 11,729 career points, and he grabbed 12,359 career rebounds (21st on the ABA/NBA all-time list).
However, even though Mutombo had an impressive playing career, his longest lasting legacy will be felt off of the court. He served as the NBA's first Global Ambassador, and he was one of the first African players who made a significant impact on the NBA, which in turned opened up the continent as a fertile ground for developing talented young players. The multi-lingual Mutombo established the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation in 1997. His foundation focused on improving the quality of life in his native Congo, and the crown jewel of those efforts was the construction of a 170-bed hospital in the capital city Kinshasa. That hospital serves the entire community, including patients who are unable to pay; the inspiration for the project was very personal for Mutombo: his mother died at home in Congo after suffering a stroke and not being able to receive adequate medical attention.
Mutombo played an unselfish game focusing on rebounding and defense, and off of the court he set a wonderful example of selfless service.
Labels: Atlanta Hawks, Denver Nuggets, Dikembe Mutombo, Houston Rockets, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers
posted by David Friedman @ 5:35 PM
