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On Saturday, the Dikembe Mutombo family will hold a public memorial at 10:30 a.m. in McCamish Pavilion on the campus of Georgia Tech to honor his life and legacy. “I thought just because the way Dikembe lived, and the way he embraced the people and the way he loved the people in our community, and also the support we’ve received in the last two years and a half,” Mutombo’s widow, Rose, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “From the time he was diagnosed and all the way to passing, we just have received an outpouring of support of people in our community and people all over the world. So, I thought it would be a good idea to give the people in our community and those all over the world who want to come join us to celebrate his life and legacy.”
LeBron James sets playoff records for points, rebounds, assists, steals at age 40
Jorge Sierra: Best playoff averages ever in Age 40+ seasons Points: LeBron in 2025 (25.4) Rebounds: LeBron in 2025 (9.0) Assists: LeBron in 2025 (5.6) Steals: LeBron in 2025 (2.0) Blocks: Mutombo in 2008 (1.83), LBJ second with 1.80 Short playoff run, but an outlier performance anyway.
Jorge Sierra: Giannis Antetokounmpo has passed Gary Payton and Derek Fisher in playoff scoring for No. 57 in NBA history. He moved ahead of Serge Ibaka and Dikembe Mutombo in rebounds for No. 54.
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It is unknown when Mutombo first started doing this but another player claims he was the originator of the taunt. Last year Derrick Coleman, who was the 1991 Rookie of the Year, said he was the first to do it. While speaking on the Knuckleheads podcast with Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson, Coleman was describing his dunk on Shaquille O'Neal during the 1992-93 season. After the dunk, Coleman wagged his finger at O'Neal. "I hit him with that [finger wave]," Coleman said. "See, Dikembe stole that from me."
Andy Larsen: Walker Kessler has 18 points, 25 rebounds, and 8 blocks tonight. The players in NBA history who have put up a game with at least those numbers: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elvin Hayes, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, Dikembe Mutombo. Hasn't happened since 1994.
Hours before playing in the NBA All-Star Game, Stephen Curry’s voice cracked during the NBA Legends Brunch on Sunday morning when he took the podium to “honor the memories of those we lost this year.” Amidst giving posthumous honor to the likes of Al Attles, Bill Walton and Jerry West, the Golden State Warriors superstar paid respect to Dikembe Mutombo, who died Sept. 30, 2024. “Dikembe was an eight-time All-Star and a four-time Defensive Player of the Year,” Curry said. “Dikembe’s trademark finger wag after blocking a shot was the exact opposite of his selfless and welcoming nature off the court. Dikembe was a true global ambassador and humanitarian.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver unveiled the NBA Africa Dikembe Mutombo Humanitarian Award on Feb. 15 at the 10th annual NBA Africa All-Star Luncheon. The NBA described the award as “a new annual honor that will recognize a person or an organization that works to advance health, education or economic opportunity across the continent of Africa.” Following his retirement from the league in 2009, Mutombo, a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was the NBA’s first global ambassador, as appointed by late NBA commissioner David Stern.
“[Mutombo] was a constant fundraiser,” Silver said. “I used to sort of joke when we traveled with him, [and] he had his card as the NBA ambassador — these days when I take out my business card, young people say, ‘what is that piece of paper?’ But when people still had business cards, he would start with his NBA ambassador card, and then he’d wait until I walked away and out would come four other cards of all these other programs that he would be raising money for. He was so committed to it. “His spirit was infectious. Part of it was just being a 7-footer. We all knew when we traveled with him, whether it was to Mumbai — a place where people might not know much about basketball or Dikembe Mutombo — I think because of his size, because of his laugh, just because of his presence, they instantly would know he was somebody important and he’d create those connections, something we all talk about so much these days.”
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Adam Silver announces new NBA award in honor of Dikembe Mutombo
Marc J. Spears: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announces the NBA Africa Dikembe Mutombo Humanitarian Award, a new annual honor recognizing a person or an organization that works to advance health, education or economic opportunity across Africa. Mutombo was the NBA’s first global ambassador.
Jordan Howenstine:Victor Wembanyama is playing in his 100th game tonight. In first 100 career games he has more… Points than LeBron, Durant, Carmelo Rebounds than AD, Ewing, Embiid Blocks than Shaq, Mutombo, Olajuwon Threes than Curry, Klay, Trae Young
Alonzo Mourning: "For the past two years, I watched him fight, just like he fought on the court for rebounds and block shots. Unfortunately, he succumbed to brain cancer. It was hard because he left us way too early. The thing about Dikembe, he defined what it means to be a better man in this world. He was all about giving. The man built a hospital in the Congo in his mother’s name, a school in his father’s name, and wanted to continue doing that around the globe. Dignitaries from all over looked up to him. Nobody ever had a bad word to say about Dikembe Mutombo. He brought joy and laughter wherever he went, with that big belly laugh like the Cookie Monster. The impression he left on the world is incredible, and it’s something that will never be forgotten."
Alonzo Mourning: "We were in the dorm, and Dikembe wanted fried chicken. We didn’t have flour, so he used cornbread mix. He heated the oil, started frying, and the fire alarm went off because the whole dorm was filled with smoke. The fire department came, the chicken was raw inside, and it was a disaster. I told him, 'Man, we could’ve just walked to the store for some chicken!' But Dikembe, being the determined person he was, wanted to do it himself. That was Dikembe—a mix of stubbornness, creativity, and humor all wrapped in one."
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