DENVER — There used to be a tribute video celebrating Dikembe Mutombo’s great achievements on and off the court. Next, the Denver Nuggets fans stood up and cheered for 55 seconds – their number.
The late Mutombo was recalled by the franchise in the first quarter of Thursday night’s season opener against Oklahoma Town. Denver players and coaches also showed their appreciation by wearing t-shirts emblazoned with an image of the Heavy Guy’s iconic finger wag.
Mutombo, the basketball Hall of Famer known for his huge smile and mean, discernible expression and, of course, that finger wiggle, died at an advanced age from cancer. I used to be 58 years old.
Honoring 55 pic.twitter.com/hI72xfLd10
– Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) October 25, 2024
WHO’S READY FOR SOME NUGGETS HOOPS ⚒ pic.twitter.com/txjnEdB6SE
– Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) October 25, 2024
“I feel really fortunate to have gotten to know him, coach him and spend time with him,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone, whose team wrote Mutombo’s title and “55” on the field as well as on Denver’s bench. “He will be missed by many, many people.”
Mutombo helped the Nuggets become the first negative. 8 seeds to disappoint a Negative. 1 seed in the NBA playoffs, when they defeated Seattle in 1994 in a best-of-five format. It was not only an indelible symbol in Nuggets lore, but an endearing symbol: Mutombo on the ground when the horn sounded, face up, shielding the ball above his head with a radiant smile.
It’s an image that Malone has in his workplace.
Mutombo, then having a stellar career at Georgetown, was interested in Denver’s fourth overall pick in the 1991 NBA draft. He spent five seasons in Mile Prime Town, immediately becoming a fan favorite.
Mutombo’s 18-year NBA career also included stops in Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia, York and the then-Jersey Nets. The 7-foot-2 center was an eight-time All-Megastar, four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Past and three-time All-NBA. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Reputation in 2015 and went on to average 9.8 points and 10.3 rebounds for his career sport. It’s the most blocked moment of his career in NBA history.
More than basketball, he was known for his generosity. He built a clinic in the Congo and that facility, named after his mother, has served about 200,000 people. He has worked on behalf of the Special Olympics, UNICEF and the Center for Policing and Prevention of Disorder.
“His legacy is much more than on the court,” Malone said. “It’s everything he did for his home country, building hospitals and giving back.
“That is what society must look at, is that once they build it, they have the opportunity to offer again and improve the life of society. Dikembe Mutombo will always be remembered as an envoy of this sport, on and off the court . file, with a plethora, medium plethora.”
