Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo (born June 25, 1966) is a Congolese-American former professional basketball player.
Mutombo played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Nicknamed "Mount Mutombo" for his defensive prowess, he is commonly regarded as one of the best shot-blockers and defensive players of all time.
He received the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award four times, tied with Ben Wallace for the most awards.
Mutombo led the NBA in blocked shots three times, led the league in rebounds twice, and was named to eight All-Star teams.
Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo was born on June 25, 1966, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo as one of 10 children of Samuel and Biamba Marie Mutombo.
His father worked as a school principal and then in Congo's department of education.
Mutombo speaks English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and five Central African languages, including Lingala and Tshiluba.
He is a member of the Luba ethnic group.
For high school, Mutombo went to Boboto College in Kinshasa to lay the groundwork for his medical career as the classes were more challenging there.
He played football and participated in martial arts.
At around age 16, Mutombo decided to also work on his basketball career at the encouragement of his father and brother due to his height.
1987
He moved to the United States in 1987 at the age of 21 to enroll in college.
Mutombo attended Georgetown University on a USAID scholarship.
He originally intended to become a doctor, but the Georgetown Hoyas basketball coach John Thompson recruited him to play basketball.
He spoke almost no English when he arrived at Georgetown and studied in the ESL program.
During his first year of college basketball as a sophomore, Mutombo once blocked 12 shots in a game.
Building on the shot-blocking power of Mutombo and teammate Alonzo Mourning, Georgetown fans created a "Rejection Row" section under the basket, adding a big silhouette of an outstretched hand to a banner for each shot blocked during the game.
1990
Mutombo was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year twice, in 1990 (shared with Mourning) and in 1991.
At Georgetown, Mutombo's international background and interests stood out.
Like many other Washington-area college students, he served as a summer intern, once for the Congress of the United States and once for the World Bank.
1991
In 1991, the Denver Nuggets chose Mutombo with the fourth overall pick of the NBA draft.
During his NBA career, he played for six teams.
In 1991, he graduated with bachelor's degrees in linguistics and diplomacy.
In the 1991 NBA draft, the Denver Nuggets drafted Mutombo with the fourth overall pick.
The Nuggets ranked last in the NBA in opponent points-per-game and Defensive Rating, and Mutombo's shot-blocking ability made an immediate impression across the league.
1992
He developed his signature move in 1992 as a way to become more marketable and gain product endorsement contracts.
After blocking a player's shot, he would point his right index finger at that player and move it side to side.
That year, Mutombo starred in an Adidas advertisement that used the catchphrase "Man does not fly ... in the house of Mutombo", a reference to his prolific shot-blocking.
As a rookie, Mutombo was selected for the All-Star team and averaged 16.6 points, 12.3 rebounds and nearly three blocks per game.
Mutombo began establishing himself as one of the league's best defensive players, regularly putting up big rebound and block numbers.
1993
The 1993–94 season saw Denver continue to improve with Mutombo as the franchise cornerstone.
During that season, Mutombo averaged 12.0 points per game, 11.8 rebounds per game and 4.1 blocks per game.
2001
Mutombo played in the NBA Finals for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2001 and for the New Jersey Nets in 2003.
2007
On January 10, 2007, Mutombo reached second place on the list of NBA career leaders in blocked shots.
Outside of basketball, he is well known for his humanitarian work.
A 7 ft, 260 lb center, Mutombo moved to the United States from the Democratic Republic of the Congo at age 21 to play college basketball for the Georgetown Hoyas.
2009
At the conclusion of the 2009 NBA playoffs, Mutombo announced his retirement.
His number 55 jersey has been retired by both the Denver Nuggets and the Atlanta Hawks.
2015
Mutombo was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 11, 2015.
