During his first year of college basketball as a sophomore, Mutombo once blocked 12 shots in a game. He spoke almost no English when he arrived at Georgetown and studied in the ESL program.

He originally intended to become a doctor, but the Georgetown Hoyas basketball coach John Thompson recruited him to play basketball. Mutombo attended Georgetown University on a USAID scholarship. He moved to the United States in 1987 at the age of 21 to enroll in college. At around age 16, Mutombo decided to also work on his basketball career at the encouragement of his father and brother due to his height. He played football and participated in martial arts.

For high school, Mutombo went to Boboto College in Kinshasa to lay the groundwork for his medical career as the classes were more challenging there. Mutombo speaks English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and five Central African languages, including Lingala and Tshiluba. His father worked as a school principal and then in Congo's department of education. Mutombo was born on June 25, 1966, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, as one of 10 children to Samuel and Biamba Marie Mutombo. On September 11, 2015, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Īt the conclusion of the 2009 NBA playoffs, Mutombo announced his retirement.

On January 10, 2007, he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the second most prolific shot blocker in NBA history, behind only Hakeem Olajuwon, and he averaged a double-double for most of his career. The 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m), 260-pound (120 kg) center, who began his career with the Georgetown Hoyas, is commonly regarded as one of the best shot blockers and defensive players of all time, winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award four times he was also an eight-time All-Star. Outside of basketball, he has become well known for his humanitarian work. Mutombo played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). 2× Big East Defensive Player of the Year (1990, 1991)ĭikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo (born June 25, 1966) is a Congolese-American former professional basketball player.Third-team All-American – AP, UPI ( 1991).

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