This Tuesday, November 24th, the Atlanta Hawks will be retiring Dikembe Mutombo’s #55 jersey when they play the Boston Celtics. His time with the Hawks was a memorable one and he is arguably one of the greatest Hawks of all time. He joined the Hawks during the 1995-1996 season after he completed his stint with the Denver Nuggets where he started his career. He was a great defensive player and won the defensive player of the year award from the NBA a record four times. He was known for his signature “finger wave” for when he blocked opponent’s shots. Mutombo is not only a great basketball player but also one of the greatest humanitarians in the world today.
Around the time he was with the Atlanta Hawks Mutombo started the Dikembe Mutomobo Foundation. Mutombo, who is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, started the foundation to help improve the lives of people living in Africa. He was one of the most iconic African-born players when he started and he felt that he needed to give back to his homeland. Mutombo, also with the help others, opened a 300 bed hospital in 2007 in his hometown in the Congo. It provided a modern medical facility which is not prevalent in the Congo.
His work does not limit to Africa either as he is also really involved in Special Olympics where he serves as a global ambassador and serves on the international board of directors for the games. In 2007, President George W. Bush honored him at the State of the Union address for his humanitarian work. He continues to work on many projects today and continues to give back to his homeland and the other nations of Africa.
Dikembe Mutombo is somebody we as people should all aspire to be. He was not only a great basketball player but also a great humanitarian. He is an excellent role model. It sure will be a great moment when his number gets retired this Tuesday by the Hawks.
