(Todd A. Smith/Photo Credit: Kevin Bussey for Bussey One Photography)
Often when a celebrity dies, social media gets filled with tributes and condolences.
But social media also gets filled with haters and people claiming to never have heard of the deceased celebrity.
But when the NBA announced the passing of Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo, 58, from brain cancer one would find it difficult to find someone with a negative thing to say about the “Big Fella.”
On Fox News’ Facebook page, one user said, “Though his life on earth was very short…his legacy lives forever…”
Another comment from the Fox News Facebook page read, “Wow when they say what a great soul that was him rest in peace my brother and thanks for all those memory’s (sic) on and off basketball court.”
National Basketball Association (NBA) Commissioner Adam Silver said, “Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life. On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in the history of the NBA. Off the floor, he poured his heart and soul into helping others.”
Olympic gold medalist and current Philadelphia 76ers All-Star center Joel Embiid said, “It’s a sad day, especially for us Africans, and really the whole world. Other than what he’s accomplished on the basketball court, I think he was even better off the court. He’s one of those guys that I look up to, as far as having an impact, not just on the court, but off the court. He’s done a lot of great things. He did a lot of great things for a lot of people. He’s a role model of mine. It’s a sad day.”
Embiid is a native of Cameroon.
Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri said, “It’s really hard to believe. It’s hard for us to be without that guy. You have no idea what Dikembe Mutombo meant to me…That guy, he made us who we are. That guy is a giant, an incredible person.”
Ujiri was born in the United Kingdom to a Nigerian father and mother from Kenya.
The Associated Press reported, “Mutombo spent 18 seasons in the NBA, playing for Denver, Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia, New York and the-then New Jersey Nets. The 7-foot-2 center out of Georgetown was an eight-time All Star, 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 served on the boards of many organizations, including Special Olympics International, the CDC Foundation and the National Board for the U.S. Fund of UNICEF.”
Silver added, “There was nobody more qualified than Dikembe to serve as the NBA’s first Global Ambassador. He was a humanitarian at his core. He loved what the game of basketball could do to make a positive impact on communities, especially his native Democratic Republic of the Congo and across the continent of Africa.”
And we loved what Mutombo did to make a positive contribution to the world through his time, fame and fortune that came from his success on the basketball court.
As a lifelong basketball fan, I can hardly remember a time watching the game that the native of Congo was not playing at a high level.
From his time playing with Alonzo Mourning and for former coach John Thompson, Jr. at Georgetown University to that unforgettable image of him lying on the court, euphorically celebrating the Denver Nuggets’ upset playoff victory against the Western Conference’s top playoff seed Seattle Supersonics in 1994, Mutombo’s impact on the game cannot be overlooked.
The Nuggets’ win over Seattle helped my Houston Rockets win their first NBA championship that year because they had problems beating Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp back in those days.
When he played five seasons for my Rockets, I became an even bigger fan, even getting a chance to party with him at a Luther Head party in the “Bayou City.”
But while Mutombo was larger than life on the basketball court and on the dance floor with a woman way too small for him to be dancing with, he made an even larger impact on the world, specifically his home country of the Congo.
The former Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers center donated much of his wealth to building hospital facilities in his home country, an effort that will positively impact his people for generations.
In an era in which many people of African descendant want to create generational wealth for their family, Mutombo stood above the rest because he gave his people generational health.
And his people meant his entire country.
That type of impact is obviously much larger than just a game.
His efforts speak to a man that knew that the game was just a resource to use to fulfill his purpose in life.
It was not about him.
It was not even just about his family.
It was about changing the lives of as many people as possible.
Do not get it twisted, many celebrities give back to humanity and their community after tragedies like hurricanes and other natural disasters.
While that is definitely necessary because it helps save lives in the moment, Mutombo’s philanthropy will literally save lives in perpetuity.
So, why we will mourn his passing, we thank him for the countless lives he undoubtedly saved and helped prosper.
We thank him for the lives he inspired by his success on the basketball court.
He taught fans that a person can be a Hall of Famer in business and in life by knowing their role in the grand scheme of things.
Mutombo did not seek the most attention.
But he made the biggest impact doing the dirty work on and off the basketball court.
He had a Roberto Clemente type impact on the game of basketball thanks to his humanitarian efforts.
And in the same way that Major League Baseball sets aside a day to honor Clemente by allowing Latino players wear his number, the NBA should do the same for African-born players who want to wear his number 55 to honor a person with a heart as big as Africa.
