Dikembe Mutombo had an illustrious NBA career with six teams, but it’s with the Atlanta Hawks that he lived some of the biggest moments of his career.
And as result his Hawks No 55 jersey will be retired on Tuesday during a halftime ceremony of the Hawks’ game against the Celtics at Phillips Arena.
Mutombo was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the fourth pick in the 1991 NBA draft, but when Hawks approached him in 1996, the Kinshasa native grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
“I just loved the city and its history,” he said. “I’ve found it beautiful and cosmopolitan,” he said of Atlanta.
The ceremony will feature remarks from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler, Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed and Mutombo’s former Hawks teammate Steve Smith.
Players as well as fans will pay tribute to one of the top rebounders of all-time during the ceremony.
Hawks players will wear a No 55 patch on their uniforms for the game and fans attending the game on Tuesday will receive a finger-wagging foam hand to commemorate Mutombo’s trademark ‘No, no, no’ move following his many blocked shots.
Mutombo was a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and he remains proud to keep most of his accomplishments.
“It took him seven years to dunk on me,” Mutombo said of Michael Jordan.
When asked about his favourite moments playing for the Hawks, Mutombo didn’t hesitate to recall his time playing for former Hawks coach Lenny Wilkens.
“The man was like a father-figure to me,” said Mutombo, who currently serves as NBA Global Ambassador.
“He taught me so much about the game, and showed me to be the best basketball player that I can be.”
Mutombo left the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1980s with the intention of studying medicine at Georgetown University, but ended up playing 18 season in the NBA and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
He will become just the fourth player in franchise history to be honoured with a retired number and the first since Wilkins in 2001.
© supersport.com
