Dikembe Mutombo Had More Impact Off Of the Court Than On

Dikembe was bigger than basketball.

In 1997, Dikembe Mutombo had competed in the NBA for 6 seasons and had made a name for himself.

Mt. Mutombo was a 4-time NBA All-Star, 2-time Defensive Player of the Year and he competed in the playoffs 3 times.

He was feared by many as well, as he averaged 3.7 blocks per game and led the league in blocks from 1993-94 to 1995-96.

Let’s just say when it came to the basketball front, he was doing dandy.

But the accomplishments in these seasons are not what many people remember Mutombo for.

Rather, people remember him for the humanitarian work he started doing in 1997.

Mutombo used (some of) the millions of dollars he made playing basketball to help the people in his native Congo live better lives by starting up the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation to provide more hospital beds in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Congo, to fight malaria.

The foundation also focused on improving the education system and overall quality of life, but since Mutombo had aspirations to become a doctor, he concentrated more on trying to provide better healthcare for his people.

After many years of travelling to the Congo to serve his people, Mutombo was awarded the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 2001 for his humanitarian work.

Now, some people would slow down their charity work after winning an award for being a do-gooder because they’ve been recognized and praised for doing good.

But not Mutombo. Nope. 

If anything, the award encouraged the Hall of Famer to do more.

He continued growing his foundation to provide more services and continued to make the lives of Africans better.

In 2003, Mutombo -along with other NBA players- travelled to Johannesburg, South Africa as part of the first-ever Basketball Without Borders Africa to grow basketball in the continent by providing resources and guidance to young players.

Then, in 2007, he opened a $29 million state-of-the-art hospital and health resource centre in Kinshasa and named it after his late mother, Biamba Marie Mutombo.

All of this social work led to Mutombo receiving his second J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 2009, becoming the first player to be granted the award twice.

"This is something I will do for the rest of my life," said Mutombo. "No matter what I go do, whether it is working for the league or business for myself, doing humanitarian work, I don't think there will be anybody who can stop me."

Additionally, he was named the NBA’s first-ever Global Ambassador.

“There was nobody more qualified than Dikembe to serve as the NBA’s first Global Ambassador,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “He was a humanitarian to his core. He loved what the game of basketball could do to make a positive impact on communities, especially in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo and across the continent of Africa.”

Dikembe may have been one of the greatest NBA players to grace the hardwood, but his true calling was philanthropy and it was manifested throughout his entire life.