Dikembe Mutombo

Congolese-American basketball player / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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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). Outside of basketball, he is well known for his humanitarian work.

Quick facts: Personal information, Born, Nationality, List...
Dikembe Mutombo
Dikembe_Mutombo_at_the_Aspire4Sport_Congress_in_Doha._crop.jpg
Mutombo in 2012
Personal information
Born (1966-06-25) June 25, 1966 (age 57)
Kinshasa, Congo-Kinshasa
NationalityCongolese / American
Listed height7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)
Listed weight260 lb (118 kg)[1]
Career information
High schoolInstitute Boboto (Kinshasa, DR Congo)
CollegeGeorgetown (1988–1991)
NBA draft1991: 1st round, 4th overall pick
Selected by the Denver Nuggets
Playing career1991–2009
PositionCenter
Number55
Career history
19911996Denver Nuggets
19962001Atlanta Hawks
20012002Philadelphia 76ers
2002–2003New Jersey Nets
2003–2004New York Knicks
20042009Houston Rockets
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points11,729 (9.8 ppg)
Rebounds12,359 (10.3 rpg)
Blocks3,289 (2.8 bpg)
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
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A 7-foot-2-inch (2.18 m), 260-pound (120 kg) 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. 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. Mutombo played in the NBA Finals for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2001 and for the New Jersey Nets in 2003. Mutombo 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. Mutombo led the NBA in blocked shots three times, led the league in rebounds twice, and was named to eight All-Star teams. On January 10, 2007, Mutombo reached second place on the list of NBA career leaders in blocked shots.

At the conclusion of the 2009 NBA playoffs, Mutombo announced his retirement. His number 55 jersey has been retired by both the Atlanta Hawks and the Denver Nuggets. Mutombo was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 11, 2015.