Deakimbe Mutombo is the NBA's greatest basketball ambassador in Africa and is "priceless." From alphabet brothers to female coffee farmers, this basketball Hall of Famer continues to inspire and help Africans.
Dakar (capital of the Republic of Senegal), the gongs and drums are noisy and the drums are played in unison. Men dressed up as lions and roared low, and hundreds of people sang and danced. The 7-foot-2 elder Mutombo showed his trademark smile, raised his hands that covered numerous NBA projections, and waved to the crowd.
The whistle for the opening of the new season of the African Basketball League has passed, but for Mutombo and basketball fans, the continues.
"I'm home, I'm home," Mutombo shouted.
In 1987, Deakimbe-Mutombo-Mupolendo-Mukamba-Jean-Jacques-Valtombo received a scholarship from the United States Agency for International Development and left the Democratic Republic of the Congo for Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., dreaming of becoming a doctor. Mutombo not only graduated from Georgetown University, but also became one of the greatest basketball players in the school's history. Not only is the Basketball Hall of Famer one of the greatest defenders in NBA history, but more importantly, he is also the NBA's greatest basketball ambassador in Africa, and even the world.
So when the African Basketball League started its second season in Dakar, the capital of the Republic of Senegal, Mutombo was almost the only suitable spokesperson for African basketball.
Speaking of Mutombo, NBA Vice Chairman Mark Tatum said, "He's priceless. He's incredible. He's a messenger, not only a global ambassador for the NBA, he's also a messenger for basketball on the African continent, and even a basketball ambassador for the world, right? He's our global ambassador, and his presence is significant, and for young people in Africa, they'll look up to what he's accomplished as an NBA player and what he's done at the highest level of athletics. ”
Nigeria's Hakim Olajuwon was the first African player to enter the NBA through the draft, having been drafted by the Rockets as a champion in the 1984 draft, winning two NBA championships in his career and being a basketball Hall of Famer. Olajuwon is widely regarded as the greatest basketball player from Africa. However, the Denver Nuggets selected Mutombo with the 4th pick in the first round in 1991, and the NBA's connection with African basketball was really established.
After being selected, Mutombo shook hands with then-NBA president David Stern, as all rookies do. At this point, Stern pulled Mutombo aside and told him that he wanted to go to Africa with him. They really did. In 1993, in Johannesburg, South Africa, David Stern, Mutombo and a number of other NBA players met with anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela.
Stern knows the importance of taking the NBA global, and he has achieved his goals by playing exhibition games in Europe, having NBA games broadcast on television in China, and promoting basketball without borders around the world. In 2009, he made Mutombo the NBA's first global basketball ambassador.
"I believe in Stern, he has the ability and knowledge to get things done." Mutombo said of David Stern, "He's a very smart guy. His successors, Adam Xiaohua and vice president Mark Tatum, will follow in his footsteps and fulfill his promise to make basketball shine in Africa again. ”
Mutombo has been named an All-Star eight times in his career and a defensive player of the year in the NBA four times, and his No. 55 jersey has retired from both the Nuggets and Hawks. But it's also important to note that Mutombo has twice received the James Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for "outstanding service and outstanding contribution to the community."
Mutombo is also the big brother of Africans who play or work in the NBA. Whether it's an active player, a retired player, or an NBA executive and scout, like Raptors President Ujairi and Bucks star Alphabet Brother, those who work in the NBA and have African ties respect Mutombo.
Alphabet brother is now an NBA champion, two-time regular season MVP, and 6-time All-Star player, but he still sees Mutombo and Olajuwon as the godfathers of African basketball. Originally from Nigeria and Greece, he was not well known when he was selected with the 15th pick in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft. Mutombo spoke at rookie camp in New Jersey, and then he specifically found the alphabet brother and gave him some wisdom proverbs.
"Of course I know who he is." The alphabet brother, whose parents were both Nigerians, said, "He came up to me like a giant." He said to me, 'You have to take care of your body, you have to make yourself coachable, you have to freeze your body after the game, and you have to get a good night's sleep.' He just gave me some advice on how to extend my career in this competitive league. ”
"He said: 'People who come into this league are talented, but a lot of people don't have long careers.' They can't stay healthy. The average player's time in the NBA is 4 years, what are you going to do to surpass it? He told me not to leave the gym before the ice knees and ankles, and to take good care of my body. Since then, I've done this every day. ”
Mutombo's influence off the pitch in Africa has been around since the mid-1990s. In 1996, he took on the cost of traveling to the Congolese women's basketball team at the Atlanta Olympics and bought them team uniforms. In 1997, he founded the Mutombo Foundation, whose mission is to "improve the health, education and quality of life of the Congolese people".
In 2009, Mutombo spent $29 million to open a hospital near the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, where 7.5 million people still live in poverty. He also promotes basketball around the world through basketball without borders, which hosts basketball camps in Africa, and Mutombo even personally participated in the 2015 NBA Africa Game.
Why is Mutombo concerned not only about helping Africa, but also about helping the world?
"I understand that I don't live alone in this world." "I live in a world surrounded by people of different cultures, different languages, different places," Mutombo said. I don't go to the Congolese, or to the Africans, I go to the people there who need help. Speaking of which, what investments do we need to make to ensure that the next generation has enough opportunities to start the next chapter in their lives? ”
"I don't think everybody is doing enough, especially in Africa. I think we can do more. We still have a long way to go, but we should pool our resources to ensure that the next generation can have a brighter future. I may not have the opportunity to live in Africa again, but I still want to help the generation that was left behind because I have been through this and I don't want the next generation to go through the same process again. ”
He showed respect for Mutombo's influence, saying: "A lot of African basketball players have a lot of respect for him, and he will always come back to Africa to participate in a lot of what's going on there." ”
Mutombo is also influencing Africa and improving the lives of African women through "Mutombo Coffee," which was first launched last year.
Mutombo Coffee's coffee beans originate from coffee farms in Africa, which are run primarily by women through the "Involve Women in the Coffee Industry" program. The project began in 2014 to break down fears of women's involvement in the coffee industry.
Through this project, Mutombo Coffee has invested in a number of sustainable farms that "grow the best African coffee". In addition, Mutombo Coffee said it will also use this project to help African farms sell coffee to international markets for better prices.
Mula Musau, founder of Kenya's Utake Coffee Company, said in an interview: "I've heard of Mutombo before because my father was a super basketball fan and we watch NBA games every Sunday afternoon. Decades later, when he started the 'Mutombo Coffee' project, I was very surprised. Is this the same person? Then I saw him at an online conference and I said, 'Yes, that's him.' Although many years passed, it was determined that it was Mutombo. Many years ago, I met him by watching games on TV, and now, we're in the same place, which is so special to me. He supported African coffee and supported African women to participate in the coffee industry. ”
At the start of the new season in the 2022 African Basketball League, Mutombo was excited, where he met his former teammate Robert Pike in the Nuggets, who is now a coach in the league. He also participated in Ujerry's new basketball court in Côte d'Ivoire.
The African Basketball League was supposed to start in 2020, but was postponed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The league is planned to host qualifying rounds in Cairo, Egypt, and the playoffs in Kigali, Rwanda. The NBA hopes that the league will find that some homegrown talented players can eventually enter the NBA to play.
Seeing this professional basketball league that connects the continent means a lot to Mutombo.
"I'm thrilled that my dream has finally come true, especially for me, who is from Africa and has invested a lot of time and resources in promoting the sport on the continent." Mutombo said, "Now you see that the dream has been illuminated into reality, and it will continue to develop." Now, we're celebrating the start of the second season of the league, which is like a kid learning to walk. ”
League president Amadou Fall said: "We are just the beginning, everything is just getting started, but the future is bright. As long as you have talent, this is the new starting point of your life. ”
The NBA has some great ambassadors in Africa, like Ujairi, Amadou Fall and others. But when it comes to the façade of African basketball, it has to be Mutombo.
Mutombo said: "Some high school kids came up to me and said, 'Thank you!'" People don't even say 'Hello!' Especially when I'm in Africa, people just come up to me and say, 'Thank you so much!' And then I'll say, 'Why are you saying thank you to me?' I'll wonder what the hell I've done for them. We came here and did what they expected us to do, and we set the tone. We bring hope to the next generation. ”
"You set an example of success for the next generation. You let them know that even if you were born in Africa, you have the ability to play well on the basketball court and succeed. They're very disciplined, and if you put them in the right place, in the right place, surrounded by some of the right people, then they'll succeed. ”
Originally written by Marc J. Spears
Compilation: Nanshan