Via Britannica
Jade Gagné, Sports Editor

On September 30th, we lost the legend Dikembe Mutombo, who passed away after a battle with brain cancer. Known for his long-lasting mark on and off the court, his humanitarian work stands out the most.

Dikembe was born in 1966, in the city of  Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and moved to the United States in 1987 to attend Georgetown University in Washington D.C.. He had little interest in pursuing basketball but, being 7’2”, he caught the attention of legendary coach John Thompson and was invited to the university’s tryouts during his second year. His first intention was to study medicine but the sport led him onto a different path. Basketball only allowed him to do more than he wanted to. 

Following his graduation in 1991, he got selected for the 1991 NBA draft and was picked fourth by the Denver Nuggets. In his rookie season, he made immediate impacts, piling up 16.6 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game, earning a spot on the Western Conference All-Star team. During his following season, Mutombo won his first NBA Defensive Player of the Year award (DPOY). He then went on and completed a career of 18 seasons, where he played for several teams, including the Atlanta Hawks (1996-1998) and Philadelphia 76ers (2000-2001). He finished his NBA career playing for the New Jersey Jets, New York Knicks, and the Houston Rockets, retiring after the 2008-2009 season with 3,289 career blocks (second most in NBA history). He also won multiple awards in his career, including eight All-Star honours, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.

While being an active player in the NBA, Mutombo also founded the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation to improve the quality of life for the people in the DRC. It focused primarily on health and education, two areas that Mutombo wanted his homeland to have better access to. The foundation built a general hospital in the city of Kinshasa. In December 2007, costing $29 million, the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital opened in memory of his mother. The 300-bed facility became one of the largest and most modern hospitals in the region. Before the creation of this hospital, Kinshasa, a city of over 20 million people, had very little access to healthcare facilities. After the creation of the Marie Mutombo Hospital, it became a place of hope for the citizens. On July 17, 2022, Dikembe shared this message on X: “… we celebrate [the] 15th anniversary of the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital. We want to thank all of the people who have helped us along this journey.  There have been more [than] 1 million people who have been treated at the Hospital. Who can refuse God’s mission in your life?”. Dikembe later claimed that he would try to do more and that it was just a question of time. 

All of his work made him the first-ever global ambassador for the NBA, using basketball to bring about positive change. He helped build schools, clinics, and basketball courts, empowering youth and marginalised communities, fostering hope in areas where it was often lacking. In a statement issued by the NBA, Commissioner Adam Silver remarked: “No one was more suited than Dikembe to serve as the NBA’s first global ambassador. He was a true humanitarian.”

In the summer of 2011, the basketball player participated in the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens. In 2012, he was recognized as a Special Olympic Global Ambassador, and in 2013 Dikembe became a member of the Special Olympics Board of Directors. He always had a dream to start a Special Olympic program in the Republic of Congo, his native country. In 2017, his dream became reality. Dikembe Mutombo established the first-ever Special Olympics Congo.

In recognition of his work, Mutombo was appointed as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, where he advocated for education and healthcare initiatives. His efforts earned him multiple awards including the NBA J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, which recognizes outstanding service to the community. Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, Mutombo was one of the main public figures who stepped up to help the country.

Though Dikembe Mutombo is no longer with us, his legacy always will be and his impact will continue to inspire others all around the world. 

“God put us here to prepare this place for the next generation. That’s our job. Raising children and helping the community. That’s preparing for the next generation”

– Dikembe Mutombo.