“There are people out there dying every day, so when you wake up, you just have to thank the Man Upstairs for another day on this planet. There’s not much else we can ask for.” ~Dikembe Mutombo
On September 30, 2024, Hall of Fame basketball player Dikembe Mutombo passed away at the age of 58, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was one of the best defensive players in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Mutombo was a 7 feet, 2 inch center, who was known for waving his index finger after a successful block. He played 18 seasons in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, and the Houston Rockets. Mutombo was a 4-time Defensive Player of the Year, 8-time NBA All-Star, 2-time NBA rebounding leader, and 3-time NBA blocks leader. His number 55 jersey was retired by the Atlanta Hawks in 2015 and by the Denver Nuggets in 2016. Dikembe Mutombo was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo was born on June 25, 1966, in Leopoldville, Democratic Republic of the Congo to Samuel and Biamba Marie Mutombo. He attended Boboto College in Kinshasa with the intention of becoming a doctor. Due to his height, family members encouraged him to also play basketball. In 1987, Mutombo came to the United States to play college basketball for Coach John Thompson at Georgetown University, where he was a 2-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year and Third-team All-American.
After playing professional basketball, Mutombo focused on humanitarian work, establishing his own foundation to improve daily life in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He provided education about polio, created a coffee company to support women’s growers, and built a hospital and school in his home country. Mutombo also helped sponsor efforts in Africa to introduce basketball and purchase uniforms for teams, served as a board member for the Special Olympics, and served on the board of trustees of the National Constitution Center, in Philadelphia. He received the Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, Silver Anniversary Award, and an honorary doctorate from Georgetown University.
The National Archives and the Presidential Libraries hold documentation related to Dikembe Mutombo’s humanitarian work. The series Presidential Photographs, January 20-January 20, 2017 (NAID 81145631) contains several photographs of Mutombo at the White House Easter Egg Roll and meeting with President Barack Obama in Copenhagen.