Jan 20, 2014; Memphis, TN, USA; Former NBA player Dikembe Mutombo during the Sports Legacy Award Symposium prior to the game between the Memphis Grizzlies and the New Orleans Pelicans at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Dikembe Mutombo
Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo was drafted in the 1991 NBA draft and went on to be one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players of all time. Mutombo is second All-Time in blocks recorded with 3,289 career blocks, second only to Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon with 3,830 career blocks. Mutombo is also 11th All-Time in defensive rebounds recorded with 8,551 career defensive rebounds, and 19th All-Time in total rebounds recorded with 12,359 career total rebounds.
Mutombo made his first Playoff appearance in his third year with the Denver Nuggets against the number-one seeded Seattle SuperSonics. Down 0-2 on the brink of elimination, Mutombo helped will his team to advancing, marking the first time in NBA history that an eighth-seed had defeated a number-one seed. Mutombo averaged 12.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 6.2 blocks per game in the Round One series, highlighted by back-to-back eight block games to advance to the Second Round.
Everyone took notice of Mutombo after the history making upset, in which Mutombo totaled 31 blocks. The following season, Mutombo won his first NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. Mutombo was the first player to be named Defensive Player of the Year four times, the only other player to do so was Ben Wallace, who won the award four times in five years.
Mutombo would go on to play for the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, and Houston Rockets when all was said and done. Most noteworthy was Mutombo’s run with the 76ers, in which Philadelphia made the 2001 NBA Finals, where they came face to face with the juggernaut that was the 2000-2001 Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers had one loss all postseason and that came against Mutombo’s 76ers in Game 1 of the Finals. Two years later Mutombo would be in the NBA Finals again with the Nets but played a diminished role, being the sixth man for New Jersey. Again Mutombo was denied a NBA Championship, this time by the San Antonio Spurs.
Mutombo is set to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2015 later this year.
List of Achievements
- 8× NBA All-Star (1992, 1995–1998, 2000–2002)
- All-NBA Second Team (2001)
- 2× All-NBA Third Team (1998, 2002)
- 4× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001)
- 3× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1997–1998, 2001)
- 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1995, 1999, 2002)
- NBA All-Rookie First Team (1992)
- 2× NBA rebounding leader (2000–2001)
- 3× NBA blocks leader (1994–1996)
- 2nd on All-Time NBA recorded Blocks
- 2-time NBA regular-season leader, rebounding average: 2000 (14.1), 2001 (13.5)
- 4-time NBA regular-season leader, total rebounds: 1995 (1029), 1997 (929), 1999 (610), 2000 (1157)
- NBA regular-season leader, offensive rebounds: 2001 (307)
- 2-time NBA regular-season leader, defensive rebounds: 1999 (418), 2000 (853)
- 3-time NBA regular-season leader, blocked shots average: 1994 (4.1), 1995 (3.9), 1996 (4.5)
- 5-time NBA regular-season leader, total blocks: 1994 (336), 1995 (321), 1996 (332), 1997 (264), 1998 (277)