2015 NBA Hall of Fame inductee Dikembe Mutombo touched down in Ghana’s capital, Accra earlier today at the Kotoka International Airport.
The Democratic Republic of Congo native is en route to neighboring Ivory Coast to launch the Junior NBA League in the country to further accelerate the development of basketball in Africa’s youth.
Speaking exclusively to Basketballghana.com, the record four time Defensive Player of the Year winner stressed the need for such programs to be undertaken to aid in developing talents on the continent.
Ghana Basketball Association Chairman David Addo Ashong and the face of Ghana basketball’s renaissance, Yaw Sakyi Afari, were both spotted with the 7 foot 2 inch former Houston Rockets Center.
Mutombo was born and raised in the Democratic Republic of Congo and moved to the United States on a scholarship where he starred for Georgetown University’s Men’s Basketball Team alongside future NBA Hall of Famer Alonzo Mourning.
He spent 18 years in the NBA and played for Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets after getting drafted by Denver Nuggets in 1991 as the fourth overall pick. Since his retirement in 2009, Mutombo has worked as an NBA Global Ambassador and been extremely involved in philanthropic activities.
