Reader here, and I must admit, I have a bit of a heavy heart, as one of my all-time favourite athletes has left us too soon, as Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo passed away Monday at the age of 58, following a battle with brain cancer.
In fact, I went digging through some of my relatively small collection of sports cards that I have in Yorkton, and all but one were Philadelphia Flyers. That one exception? The 1991 Upper Deck rookie card of Dikembe Mutombo!
I first got into basketball in the late ’80s, coinciding with the rise of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
But, in 1991, the Denver Nuggets drafted this 7’2″ giant out of Georgetown University, by way of the Democratic Republic of Congo (at the time, it was still known as Zaire), and I instantly loved watching this guy play.
Just watch “Mount Mutombo” doing what he did best on the court!
There weren’t too many players like the “Big Fella.” He was really something to see.
In fact, I did get to see him play live in person once, in the first NBA game I ever saw live. On October 28, 1992, Mutombo and the Nuggets came to Saskatoon to take on another of my favourite players, Seattle’s Shawn Kemp and his SuperSonics, in a preseason game at Saskatchewan Place (now known as SaskTel Centre.)
Me and my cousin Derek managed to get courtside seats… right behind the Nuggets’ bench. It was so cool. It’s one thing when you watch your heroes play on TV, and you certainly see how big they are. But, to see them standing five feet in front of you? It was wild, on a whole different level. These guys were massive, but Mutombo, who was beginning his second NBA season, was 7’2″ and 250 pounds. And we just looked up and were awestruck. It was awesome! One of my best pals, Shane, was at the game too, and when we went for supper afterwards, we hardly paid attention to our food, as we were so excited. (By the way, the Sonics won that game, 107-89, in front of only about 4,500 fans, who were lucky enough to see some of the NBA’s very best in their own backyard!)
But, for as great as Mutombo was on the court, finishing his career second all-time in blocked shots, winning four Defensive Player of the Year awards, and being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, his life and work off the hardwood may have been even greater.
When he first came to the U.S., Mutombo planned to go to Georgetown, become a doctor, and return to the Congo to practice in his homeland. Hoyas coach John Thompson found him and recruited him to his basketball team. Instead, the Big Fella starred on the hardwood, and went on to a long NBA career, where he put his money and fame to great use, to help make life better for his people back home, and help make a better world. In fact, in after his retirement, NBA Commissioner David Stern appointed Mutombo as the NBA’s first Global Ambassador.
And he was well suited for it, as he spoke nine languages! To get a sense of the work he did, check out this wonderful tribute posted by the Toronto Raptors, featuring Mutombo’s close friend, Raptors’ president and fellow African Masai Ujiri.
Ultimately, we have a choice as to what kind of mark we want to leave on the world. Dikembe Mutombo saw a world of possibilities, and did what he could to make life better and open doors for so many others, to help them achieve their dreams. Far beyond what he achieved on the basketball court, that’s truly his greatest legacy.
Thank you, Big Fella. Rest well.
