Mutombo's NBA Legacy?

Dikembe Mutombo is just one of those guys who, just thinking of him, makes me giggle a little bit (sort of like Avery Johnson, lol). Something about the guy just tickles me, but I had no laughs for what happened to him lastnight. He some how got tangled up under the basket and his knee collaspsed in the act, most likely ending his 18 year career. People have often given Mutombo a hard time (usually due to his fairly unpolished, unorthodox style of play). But this guy has built quite the legacy for himself in the NBA...and he didnt stop there!

Mutombo is widely known for being the oldest player in the NBA. His age had become an almost standard commentary joke, until Mutombo expressed how he and his family felt about the remarks last season. He's currently 42 years old and has been in the NBA for 18 years (WOW!). Over that 18 year period, he has made himself known in the NBA, mostly for his shot blocking abilities early in his career. Everyone remembers the trademark shake of the finger that Mutombo would fire back with after denying the opposing team a basket! Everyone should also remember how this was later considered taunting and was rewarded with a technical foul a little later on in his career (give me a breeeeeak!). He's currently the second leading shot blocker in NBA history, with 3,289 career blocks! Mutombo is also an 8 time NBA allstar, 3 time All NBA, 6 time All Defensive, and a 4 time Defensive Player of the Year! While these accomplishments look great, they don't even scratch the surface of what he's done off the court, specifically for his homeland of Kinshasha in the Congo.

Dikembe Mutombo has poured in miiiiiiiiiiiiiillions of dollars into the improvement of living conditions in his homeland. In 1997 he started the Dikembe Mutombo foundation for those purposes. While he's won many presitgious awards for his humanitarian work (one of which is the highest honor in this country), his greatest amount of gratification most likely comes from his biggest project, the hospital he had built in the Congo. This was a $29 million dollar project (a lot of which was paid for by Mutombo himself), that he named after his mother who died of a stroke in 1997. The hospital, named Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital, finally oppened in 2007 and was the first modern medical facility to be opened there in over 40 years! He could have easily had a portion of his check sent off to some charity he knew nothing about, but he didn't. Mutombo took his purpose (outside of being an NBA player) personal, and only cares that his people reap the benefits of that. He's a model athlete and an inspiration to me personally. We need more people in the world of sports with the heart of Dikembe Mutombo. Say what you want about him, but his legacy is golden. Barely takes a genius to know that!