Dikembe Mutombo passed away on Monday. September 30 after a long battle with brain cancer. The tributes were long and ongoing and fitting of the impact that the man…not the athlete…the man…had on everyone he touched and everywhere he went. I have several stories from the time we were together with the Knicks and then afterwards in his humanitarian work around the world, the funniest of which I put on social platforms yesterday about the time he kept calling my house and my father kept hanging up on him thinking he was a prank caller.
I thought a lot about our friend not just yesterday but over the past few years when there were moments where he would usually be around, the last one was when I was at the UN last Monday learning more about the value of sport and the impact it can have. In areas like climate change and nutrition.
In going through a bunch of the videos and the comment early this morning, there were some words from Raptors President Masai Ujiri.
“We will celebrate him BIG.’
It got me to thinking, what could that mean? Not naming an award after him. Not another gym. How about Mutombo Day. The man played, and lived, in some of the biggest markets in the world…Philadelphia, New York, Atlanta, Denver, Toronto, Washington. His impact across the world through his philanthropic work has been recognized by the UN and so many other places. He was so much larger than life, and brought joy and commitment to everything that he did. Heck his full name…Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo…is larger than life.
So…why not Mutombo Day. A day of service and philanthropy supported by all areas of basketball…AAU, NCAA, NBA, WNBA, USA Basketball, FIBA…that highlights the best in class of all things Mutombo around the world. When? He was born in June so that doesn’t work. His legendary number…55…meh, May 5 doesn’t work. The day of his passing? September 30?
How about going back a week, and picking a day during the UN General Assembly? It is before NBA training camps usually get started, it is during the WNBA end of regular season, FIBA’s schedule is fairly light, kids are just starting to get going with winter sports, the climate in most of the world would work well etc etc.
Just a suggestion, as I am sure people with bigger budgets, ideas and goals are pondering the political ramifications of such a thing. These things are always complicated, and big egos and box checking slow things down every time. I get it. In a time when we are all looking for a bit of saneness, of a unifying force, of a way to use sport for good, why not get everyone on a call and see what Mutombo Day could be.
It wouldn’t be easy to pull off, but the man never thought, or acted small.
Mutombo Day. Anyone?
