Honouring the legacy of Dikembe Mutombo – a tribute

Silalei Shani, former captain of Kenya’s national women’s basketball team, honors Dikembe Mutombo, the African-American Hall of Famer from the DRC. Mutombo, who passed away on September 30, at 58 leaves behind a towering legacy both on the court and through his global humanitarian work.

by Silalei Shani, bird story agency

Often times, a man’s legacy is discovered after he leaves this earth. However, the world didn’t need Dikembe Mutombo’s recent passing to know how great a man he was.

From his entry to the NBA as one of Africa’s basketball trailblazers, a Basketball Hall of Famer who was considered one of the best defensive players in the league’s history, to his life after retirement, devoting his time and efforts to charitable and humanitarian causes within the NBA and in his home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Growing up, my favourite part of the game of basketball was defence. I would love to let my opponents get a step ahead of me on the drive, letting them think they have an open look at the rim and then smack the ball out of the air. Upon landing, I’d wag my finger in the air or yell out, “Not in my House!”.

It was Dikembe Mutombo’s signature defensive move I had learned watching NBA re-runs on our VHS player when I was a teenager.

Mutombo spent 18 seasons in the NBA, playing for Denver, Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia, New York and the then- New Jersey Nets. The 7-foot-2 center out of Georgetown was an eight-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA selection and went into the Hall of Fame in 2015 after averaging 9.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game for his career. Mutombo is one of three players to win the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year four times.

I first met Dikembe in the summer of 2014 at a Basketball Without Borders camp in Johannesburg, South Africa and for the first time in my life, I really was star-struck. My defensive idol stood before me, a whole full foot taller than my 6’2 frame, patiently waiting for me to do my first basketball media interview with him.

He could tell I was nervous and started laughing. He then proceeded to ask me if we had met before and pulled me in for a side hug. It was the ice breaker we needed to complete an organic and lively interview. It would become the first of many on and off the air conversations about life and the game of basketball.

I’m sure many of us have had even more profound encounters with the man who served as the NBA’s first Global Ambassador. Dikembe was a humanitarian at his core establishing the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation in 1997 and serving on the boards of many organizations, including Special Olympics International, the CDC Foundation and the National Board for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

Above all his accolades, “Dik” was a man of the people. From gentle interactions with young children at the community service events he would attend at various basketball camps, to his hands on approach with patients at hospitals he helped build and finance, to being a big brother to so many players in the basketball fraternity.

Mutombo leaves behind a lasting legacy, through the people’s lives he impacted, including mine. It was an honour to have known and interacted with Africa’s gentle giant.

Rest well Dikembe Mutombo- we salute you!

bird story agency

Silalei Shani is a basketball coach, TV commentator and writer, and is a former Kenya national basketball team captain.