Dikebe Mutombo was a statesperson who exemplified the qualities of the Congolese people.
On September 30th of this year, we lost the great Dikembe Mutombo, a basketball Hall of Famer and ambassador for his home country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Having worked in public education for some time, I have had the privilege of working with and developing friendships with educators who were raised in and emigrated from the Congo.
Not only did every one of them exude the brilliant personal qualities of kindness, optimism, and empathy, but they also, in conversation, acknowledged and recognized Dikebe Mutombo’s accomplishments as a natural statesman who exemplified the qualities that personify the Congolese people.
Map courtesy of Global Center for the Responsibility to Protect
Education is rightfully seen in the Congo as the focal point of personal growth and essential for success. Basketball was a gift that Dikembe Mutombo discovered relatively late in life. Still, combining his physical stature and gifted athletic ability with his academic progress allowed him to continue his education via scholarship at the prestigious Georgetown University under legendary coach John Thompson.
That move effectively continued a tradition of powerfully skilled centers at Georgetown who used their extensive reach to deny anyone who attempted to enter the paint. As Dikembe put it, “Men couldn’t fly in the house of Mutombo.” He acknowledged that success on the court could serve as a springboard platform for making the world a better place. Here is a look at his journey and a salute to the bilingual (French and English) Congolese people who assist and teach us in many of our public institutions.
The Republic of the Congo has gone through a period of civil unrest for most of the past three decades. Infrastructure has suffered, and poverty has long been a severe issue for the people. Dikembe and his ten siblings were fortunate because they were far from the conflict. They grew up in the 1970s and 80s in the capital city of Kinshasa. The capital is located in the Western part of the country and was able to function as a city should, with public works properly in effect in terms of schools, hospitals, and a local government.
Troubles were constantly stirring in the Eastern part of the country, though, with ethnic tensions around bordering countries. The unrest heightened as corruption surfaced through the fight for the country’s rich and valuable natural resources. The constant fighting led to the regular displacement of Congolese people and the desire to move eastward towards the capital, where daily life seemed to be more stable–despite tensions constantly threatening what Dikembe and his family had come to appreciate and expect.
His parents were educators, and his father was a Kinshasa Department of Education principal. They emphasized the value of education early on with their immediate family. Dikembe gained entry into a local Jesuit private school that offered a small teacher-to-student ratio and a variety of sports. By the time he was ready to enter high school, Dikembe was approaching 7 feet tall and was beginning to show agility, reflexes, and skill. Basketball, though, was not yet on the radar. Young Dikembe was starting to show skill as a soccer goalie. By batting, swatting, and deflecting oncoming kicks, he gave onlookers a glimpse of a future defensive superstar in a different sport, one that would perhaps better suit his towering and imposing physical stature.
Dr. Herm Henning (photo courtesy Legacy.com)
Basketball was not a new sport in the Congo; a national team had already been formed in Kinshasa. The coaching staff had heard of Dikembe’s ability on the soccer field and recruited him to work with the team. As a raw, young player, Dikembe took rather quickly to the fundamentals of the game. Using his height and stature to block shots and deflect passes made him a defensive force. He eventually made the team and competed in regional competitions against neighboring countries in Western Africa. His defensive abilities caught the attention of U.S. Ambassador Herm Henning, who was living and working at the embassy in Kinshasa. Henning was a former basketball coach and player himself.
Once he saw Dikembe in action, he approached him and his father with a plan and proposition to start discussions with some major college basketball programs in the U.S. after establishing a shortlist of choices for Dikembe to consider. He ultimately accepted a Georgetown scholarship under the legendary coach John Thompson. Dikembe knew that coach Thompson had successfully played the center position himself and that he had led the Hoyas to a National Championship in 1984. The legacy of dominant centers was highlighted by Patrick Ewing leading the team to two consecutive final four appearances, including the championship run of ’84. Dikembe and Alonzo Mourning would carry the torch and later reaffirm Thompson’s teams as an impenetrable wall in the paint.
While at Georgetown, Dikembe Mutombo would evolve as a player who not only would earn the Big East Defensive Player of the Year in 1990 and ’91 but also developed the ability to hit the layup, the odd dunk, and post up for a shot with a high rate of success. He would leave the Hoyas and declare for the 1991 draft after averaging over 15 points per game and is listed as having a 70% success shooting rate from the free-throw line, not bad for a defensive specialist who never really took to the game until his late teenage years.
Dikembe’s strong family emphasis on education continued through his college years despite a grueling basketball schedule. He graduated with dual degrees in Linguistics and Diplomacy, a solid accreditation and accomplishment that further solidified his platform and efforts to later give back to his home country and help it to build and grow.
Photo courtesy Denver Post
Dikembe Mutomno was selected 4th overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 1991 NBA draft. Rather quickly, he found himself engulfed in fame and fortune but would not act unwisely and squander it. Through an 18-year career featuring eight trips to the NBA All-Star game and being awarded defensive player of the year 4 times, Dikembe was focused on directing attention toward the need for social services and infrastructure in his home country.
With the people of the Congo (photo, Instagram)
Often devoting much of his finances towards the cause, Dikembe used his trademarked “finger wag” as a sign of no longer tolerating injustice and corruption in the Congo or anywhere in the world. He built the “We Are Family” Foundation following the death of his Mother in response to the need for dramatically improved healthcare and educational facilities in impoverished and war-torn areas of the world. He was awarded for humanitarian service from many Universities and Government dignitaries in the U.S. and Internationally.
In addition to Dikembe’s Hall of Fame play on the court and his constant humanitarian efforts to make the world a better place, perhaps the lasting image that will forever be connected to his legacy is similar to what I have come to know with all Congolese whom I have worked and become friends with an infectious smile and unrelenting kindness.
Dikembe Mutombo was a great ambassador for the human spirit. He will be dearly missed.
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Sources: https://www.wearefamilyfoundation.org/
https://www.basketball-reference.com/
Goeffreys, Clayton, Dikembe Mutombo: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball’s Greatest Centers (2021)
Thank you Doug for writing about this giant! We were saddened by his passing but his legacy still a long story to be told!
Thanks again!