Quotes by Dikembe Mutombo

About Dikembe Mutombo:

Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo is a Congolese American retired professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Outside basketball, he has become known for his humanitarian work.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Africa needs more funding to continue to fight all of those diseases. We are losing more than 1.3 million young children under the age of five every year because of malaria. We've already lost 25 million people to the pandemic of HIV-AIDS. More peopl...

Dikembe Mutombo

I always felt that I had to leave a legacy on the African continent. As I was only the third player to come to the NBA from Africa, I felt I had to do my best to recruit more young Africans to come and play in the NBA - and also find a way to bring t...

Dikembe Mutombo

I don't think God said we should all be soft. My job is to compete, and the best prevails. I will continue to play, and that's the way I'm succeeding in my life. If I hit you by mistake, all I can say is 'I'm sorry,' and I keep moving on.

Dikembe Mutombo

When I travel around the globe, I try as hard as I can to represent the NBA and the game of basketball to the best of my abilities. I get to go around the world and not only share the game but also my philanthropic work. Building a hospital in the Co...

Dikembe Mutombo

My mother taught us to sell food in the market so we could pay for school. I would get up at 4:30 A.M. and start selling bread and cheese before going to class. School cost $65. The average salary was $125 a year, and with 10 kids, how are you going ...

Dikembe Mutombo

I am not in politics. 'President Mutombo?' No, no, no. There has never been a politician in my family, and I am not going to try to be the first one.

Dikembe Mutombo

I've always had a passion for giving back. It's a family tradition that comes from my devout parents. They were always giving back and serving the community. So when I became fortunate enough and blessed to play the game of basketball, I was also for...

Dikembe Mutombo

I come from a large family, but I was not raised with a fortune. Something more was left me, and that was family values.

Dikembe Mutombo

I just love kids. As a kid, I grew up in a poor country with a poor family that had nothing. I loved anyone who could come into my life, in from the outside, and give me advice that could help me succeed. I believe that there are a lot of people who ...

Dikembe Mutombo

I've always felt obligated to help those less fortunate than me. It's an obligation that anyone who has a chance to be in the NBA should feel and act upon.

Dikembe Mutombo

The doctors and nurses at the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital are saving lives every day and helping improve health care in the DRC which has been ravaged by more than a decade of war and disease.

Dikembe Mutombo

When I was born, my dad and my mom gave me names, but in Africa, when your child is born, especially close family members can suggest names they want to add on. Maybe your grandmom and your grandpop have something to add to the name of the child.

Dikembe Mutombo

My heroes always are mostly my parents - my father especially, and my mom, who's passed on already. My dad is a very strong man, and by him being educated, and a principal and school superintendent over 37 years, he plays such a big role in my life.

Dikembe Mutombo

The Almighty has plans for us to make a place so we can go on and make a difference. It all has to do with my faith; I am deeply religious. It goes back to my roots, to my mom and my dad.

Dikembe Mutombo

It's easy to be a spokesman and ambassador for a great organization like the NBA. I thank Commissioner David Stern for putting that trust in me to serve the NBA around the globe.

Dikembe Mutombo

My favorite memory is my five years with the Nuggets. From my first day to my last day is a great memory. There wasn't a year that I was a Nugget that I didn't think we succeeded.

Dikembe Mutombo

My good friend Yao Ming was the first big player in the NBA to come from China. He gave himself to the game and was successful. That inspired the NBA to invest more and do more for the game of basketball. We're building academies not just in China, b...

Dikembe Mutombo

God put us here to prepare this place for the next generation. That's our job. Raising children and helping the community, that's preparing for the next generation.

Dikembe Mutombo

Basketball Without Borders is a leadership camp that takes basketball to different places around the world, to Africa, Europe, America and Asia. It's a camp that brings players from different parts of the continent to one city that's been assigned as...

Dikembe Mutombo

People wonder why I love Africa so much. I say this is where I was born and raised. My roots are in Africa; that's were I developed.

Dikembe Mutombo

Author Bio

  • NameDikembe Mutombo
  • DescriptionCongolese-American basketball player
  • BornJune 25, 1966
  • CountryDemocratic Republic Of The Congo
  • ProfessionSportsperson; Basketball Player