Rumors

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."

Sports Illustrated

Erik Slater: Players with 25+ points, 15+ rebounds, multiple steals, multiple blocks and multiple threes made in a game in Nets history: Day’Ron Sharpe - tonight vs. OKC Derrick Coleman - 2/17/94 at Boston Sharpe joins Victor Wembanyama as the only players to do it this season.

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“The whole reason I wore No. 44 throughout my career was because of what George Gervin meant to me. The first time I met him I was a junior in high school and there were whispers going around that he was up in the stands, and I went up and introduced myself, and he took the time to mentor me.”

Legends of Basketball

Coleman is holding an event in Dearborn, Michigan the week after the All-Star game to honor Gervin and Washington, but that is not the main purpose of the event. The Detroit chapter of the Retired Players Association is trying to raise $20 million for a full makeover of the Saint Cecilia gym, which has been more or less shuttered for the past 4-5 years. “I used to take the bus down there for a quarter at 8 in the morning, eat lunch at Burger King, play ball all day and not leave until 9 o’clock at night,” said Earl Cureton, who played in the NBA, in Italy, in Puerto Rico, Argentina, Venezuela and Mexico before returning to Michigan, where he is now a team ambassador for the Pistons and also calls University of Detroit games as a broadcaster. “Kids these days do not have a safe place like that where they can be surrounded by role models, and we want to bring that back. It kept you around the right mentors and the right people.

Legends of Basketball

Kawhi Leonard moved up from No. 229 to No. 226 in the scoring all-time list after passing Derrick Coleman, Wayman Tisdale, Rik Smits

HoopsHype

Omari Sanfoka II: Monty Williams said Derrick Coleman and Chauncey Billups are among the former players who reached out to him. "Chauncey was one of the first text messages I got, and that means a lot. That should tell you a lot about how the former players feel about the team."

Twitter

Keith Pompey: Former Sixers standout Derrick Coleman with the halfcourt seats at the game.

Twitter

ESPN: What role do you think you have played in influencing that next generation of the versatile big man on court, players who can shoot, dribble, be playmakers? Chris Webber: I think when you talk about big men who were versatile, it was Magic Johnson. That first came to me. Of course, Connie Hawkins. Of course, Mr. Finger Roll, Mr. Ice [George Gervin]. But when you looked at like a 6-9 guy ... When I was in high school, they wouldn't let the big guy be in the middle for 3-on-2 drills. And I remember fighting and asking, you know, could I be in 3-on-2 drills or playing with the guards, playing 21 where I had to shoot outside and the guards had to shoot inside. Once I saw Steve Smith and Derrick Coleman -- in my opinion, Steve, with the [hesitation move], and him being seven foot, Derrick, being probably [in the] top four most versatile powerful forwards to this day. I just studied the game, man. I just wanted to be [one of] the greats.

ESPN

Jared Weiss: Rob Williams joined Hakeem, Duncan, Dwight, Mourning, Bynum and Coleman as the only players with 10+ points, 9+ rebounds and 9+ blocks in a playoff game per @Sportradar. Only one to do it without a TO. He’s the 1st player ever with 9 blocks in under 25 minutes in a playoff game.

Twitter

“The potential is the sky’s the limit with that team,” Coleman said of a team featuring Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, the latter currently under COVID-19 quarantine. “I just see the struggles right now just going to be better for you later on in the season. Just have to keep continuing to work. “Kevin [Durant] is going to be one of the greatest scores we’ve ever seen play the game. To me right now, nobody can mess with Kyrie Irving; he comes from a lineage of point guards. When your godfather is Rod Strickland, I need not say any more about that. But we have to really concentrate and focus on the defensive end of the basketball court and talking.”

New York Post

Michael Scotto: The Brooklyn Nets unveiled classic edition uniforms for the upcoming season, paying homage to the Drazen Petrovic, Derrick Coleman and Kenny Anderson New Jersey Nets era. pic.twitter.com/JpFr5tPewh

Twitter

Derrick Coleman: Peaceful Journey to my @BigEastTourney and @NBA brother Cliff Robinson.

Twitter

It might not look like much now, but St. Cecilia’s is famous for having been compared to legendary Rucker Park of New York because of all the big names who came through. Isiah. Magic. Gervin. Also, David Bing. That’s four of the greatest players in NBA history. Joe Dumars, Rick Mahorn and Dennis Rodman of “Bad Boys” Pistons fame. B.J. Armstrong. Chris Webber. Jalen Rose. Derrick Coleman. Steve Smith. Shane Battier. Jimmy Walker and Spencer Haywood and Ralph Simpson and Campy Russell. Dick Vitale (awesome with a capital “A,” baby). Dozens of others.

The Athletic

Of his many claims, many of which were spot on, Malone listed three fellow power forwards who had more God-given ability than he did, but didn’t quite reach the same level of play. “I’m going to tell you three guys that had more talent than Karl Malone -- Chris Webber, Derrick Coleman and Charles Barkley,” Malone said. “More talent. More talent. But, they didn’t outwork me.” Malone began lifting weights during his time at Louisiana Tech. He was an NBA strongman and the use of weight training helped him stay healthy and on the court during his 19-season Hall of Fame career. “I would never use the term, ‘He was better than me,’” Malone explained. “More talented is different.”

NBC Sports