NBA Commissioner Adam Silver used an all-star event in San Francisco to announce the annual NBA Africa Dikembe Mutombo Humanitarian Award. The award highlights the legacy and philanthropic work of the NBA’s first-ever global ambassador.
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The NBA on Saturday (February 15) announced the creation of the NBA Africa Dikembe Mutombo Humanitarian Award, an annual honor recognizing individuals and organizations making exceptional contributions to health, education, and economic opportunity in Africa.
The creation of the award solidifies the basketball icon’s legacy as a global humanitarian whose impact transcended sports, ensuring that his lifelong mission of empowering African communities continues for generations.
“Dikembe devoted his life to helping others and brought joy to so many people across Africa and around the world,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver when announcing the award at the organisation’s 10th annual All-Star Luncheon.
“This new award and the basketball courts built in his name will honor Mutombo’s extraordinary legacy as a global humanitarian,” Silver noted.
Silver added that NBA Africa will donate 55 courts to local communities on the continent in honor of Mutombo and his iconic jersey number, beginning in his native Kinshasa.
The Congolese-American basketball player passed on in September last year after spending 18 seasons in the NBA. He played for Denver, Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia, New York and the New Jersey Nets.
The 7-foot-2 center out of Georgetown was an eight-time All-Star and 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 was one of three players to win the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year four times.
However, the towering legacy of Mutombo extends far beyond basketball.
According to Silalei Shani, former captain of Kenya’s national women’s basketball team, a basketball coach, TV commentator and writer, “Mutombo embodied the spirit of giving, his presence as towering in charity as it was in the paint.”
“‘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,” Shani noted in a past tribute published on SPN Africa.
From the moment he stepped into the NBA as the fourth overall pick in 1991, he carried the hopes of a continent, not just as an athlete but as a humanitarian.
Mutombo founded the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, which he used to extend his humanitarian efforts, particularly in his native Democratic Republic of Congo. Through this foundation, he spearheaded the construction of the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital in Kinshasa, named in honour of his mother, providing modern medical facilities to underserved communities.
Recognizing the interconnectedness of health and economic empowerment, Mutombo’s initiatives also facilitated the establishment of a microfinance bank near the hospital, fostering financial inclusion and economic opportunities for local residents.
Beyond his foundation’s work, Mutombo served on the boards of numerous organizations, including Special Olympics International, the CDC Foundation, and the National Board for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, reflecting his broad commitment to global humanitarian causes.
Over his 18-year career, the eight-time NBA All-Star used his platform to advocate for African development, most notably founding the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital in Kinshasa. His humanitarian efforts earned him global recognition, including the Congressional Humanitarian Award, the Congressional Humanitarian Award (2013), the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Goodermote Humanitarian Award (2011), the Laureus World Sports Award (2010), the John Thompson Jr. Legacy of a Dream Award (2010) and the U.S. President’s Service Award (2000).
The 55-court donation is part of NBA Africa’s broader vision to construct 1,000 courts across the continent over the next decade. This effort is more than symbolic; it is a practical investment in Africa’s youth and the growing basketball culture.
Mutombo’s own journey — from Kinshasa to the global stage — reflects the aspirations of countless young African athletes. Now, with these courts, more children will have access to structured sports programs, coaching, and educational opportunities that could one day lead them to follow in his footsteps.
Beyond the sport itself, these courts will serve as hubs for mentorship programs, grassroots training, and community development initiatives.
The greatest tribute of all to the former NBA player may well be the thousands of young Africans who will now dribble on courts built in Mutombo’s honour, dreaming bigger than ever before.
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