RIP Dikembe

Kliq

Kliq

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At 58, due to brain cancer.

View: https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1840765200108044507


An all-time sports character with an enormous amount of love in his heart. He was involved in countless humanitarian causes, most notably donating over $15 million to help construct the first "modern" hospital in Kinshasa. Always put in maximum effort to help not only his war-torn native country, but all of Africa.
 
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trekfan55

trekfan55

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Wow, this one hit me hard. I hardly follow the NBA anymore but I remember him fondly.

Some athletes go above and beyond and he is one of them.

On the court he will always be remembered for the finger wag when he blocked someone. Off. well, maybe even more impressive.

Screw Cancer, big time.
 
Kliq

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jose melendez said:
I believe it was a us diplomat who discovered him
Click to expand...
I know he came to the US to attend Georgetown on a USAID scholarship, with the goal of becoming a doctor. John Thompson saw him on campus and said "You ain't going to be a doctor, that's bullshit."
 
InstaFace

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Truly a man who made the most of his gifts. RIP Dikembe, they'll still be talking about you long after they've ceased discussing most of your contemporaries, and for reasons that have little to do with your (considerable) on-court achievements.

How many players had their number retired by multiple teams? Can't be that many.

fake edit: the answer is apparently 16, but there are caveats. Bill Russell had his number retired by the Celtics, and then league-wide. Michael Jordan's number was retired by the Bulls, and then in super-cringe fashion by the Miami Heat as well; likewise, Mark Cuban retired #24 on the day Kobe Bryant crashed and burned, even though he never played for them. But yeah, either way, super elite club he's in.
 
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kfoss99

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Maybe this is just because I was a kid in the 90s, but Mutumbo seemed to be universally well liked in the way Griffey Jr was.
We'd always be on the lookout for his highlights on SportsCenter.
 
loshjott

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Which athletes are known more for their humanitarian work than their athletic prowess? Probably not Clemente, despite the circumstances of his death. Possibly Mutombo.

RIP
 
OCST

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This is sad. It's been a bad year for big men.

I'm glad he got to play in an era that valued his game. Today, he'd be asked to space the floor and shoot threes and all that stuff.
 
OCST

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loshjott said:
Which athletes are known more for their humanitarian work than their athletic prowess? Probably not Clemente, despite the circumstances of his death. Possibly Mutombo.

RIP
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For similar reasons, Manute Bol.
 
InstaFace

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loshjott said:
Which athletes are known more for their humanitarian work than their athletic prowess? Probably not Clemente, despite the circumstances of his death. Possibly Mutombo.

RIP
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Yeah I think we can cross Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson, Cristiano Ronaldo, Serena Williams, Kareem and Jim Brown off the list, as notable as their humanitarian work has been. Shaq too.

Yao Ming? Good but not great NBA career; has done a ton of great things since retiring. Colin Kaepernick?

It's quite a short list either way, which I think is your point.
 
ilol@u

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Personal story:

I was bouncing inbetween Houston and Boston back in the 2010's and there was a mosque nearby the town of Cypress in which Mutumbo used to go to every Friday for prayer. He was a very lowkey quiet man, very polite to members who wanted to take pictures with him, but he was apparently a regular participant there, so it was normal for a majority of the other people. He was known for donating a shit-ton of money to the community, had a few different foundations as well in that area.

Very upsetting to hear about his passing - he was one of the good ones who genuinely cared about other people and the community.
 
mikeford

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Memorable player of course but his charitable contributions should be what he is best remembered for. That man was a saint. The world is worse off without him.
 
The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa

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When I first started to get interested in college basketball, Dikembe was my favorite player even though he went to Georgetown. When playing hoops with other kids, I had a terrible shot, but I sure could block. Dikembe was my man. As I got older and more focused on other things that matter in life, Dikembe was still my man. Damn.
 
bakahump

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We think of alot of players, in various sports, as heroes. Dikembe Truly was. While many of his contemporaries spent all their money on cars, drugs, women or a dozen kids that they actually fathered Dikembe made a true difference. And did it for no other reason then because he wanted to be decent.
That deep course voice will live in my head a long time.
Finger Wag to Cancer, Shitty Medical Care in the Congo and Lost futures for hundreds of young kids.
 
CarolinaBeerGuy

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mwonow

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A friend of mind tutored him at Georgetown, and was seriously impressed by Dikembe's intellect. Smart dude, great soul, and the finger wag - a real loss for everyone.
 
NickEsasky

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Just an absolute gem of a human by all accounts.

I realize it's probably just urban legend, but if there is a heaven, when Dikembe gets there I hope his first line is "Now who wants to sex Mutumbo."
 
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TripleOT

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Build a hospital in your impoverished homeland, and don’t even make it to 60. The world lost a true giant of a man.

Cancer is a cruel motherfucker.
 
scott bankheadcase

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This is a tough one for me as I had the pleasure of being around Dikembe on multiple occasions. He was everything said in this thread in person as well. He cared heavily and did all he could for his homeland.

As also pointed out from some stories here, he was really funny and fun-loving. My lasting memory will be of him, Adam Silver and Silento all doing the Whip and Nae Nae together on a tiny stage at the Javits center. The man always wanted to have some fun.
 
Scoots McBoots

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Several members of my wife's family are on the board/council of MedShare (who repurpose unused medical supplies for use in developing nations), and worked with Dikembe's foundation. They always spoke very highly of him, and emphasized how much it mattered. A good dude.
 
Ale Xander

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On the short list of people who should be used as an example of life not being fair. (I'm talking about early death, not getting Georgetown scholarship etc)

Was there a better person ever who's known because of the basketball/NBA?
 
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