NBA.COM
Dikembe Mutombo still stands tall in Nuggets lore
Denver Nuggets: Where Are They Now?
July 15, 2025
By By Aaron J. Lopez
Mutombo, 45, is a native of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) and now serves as a global ambassador for the NBA Community and Player Programs. He was recently in Greece for the Special Olympics, and he will travel to South Africa in August to take part in the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program.
He and Nuggets executive vice president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri – a native of Nigeria – have worked closely as part of Basketball Without Borders for the past 10 years.
“He’s been a driving force of the basketball camps over the years,” Mutombo said of Ujiri. “We want to thank him for taking time out of his busy schedule to help us. The kids love him. He’s a great communicator.”
Mutombo returned to Denver last Oct. 27 and presented the game ball before the Nuggets season-opening game against the Utah Jazz. At the time, he was embarking on a fundraising effort to offset the cost of maintaining the $30 million hospital he helped build in his native country.
Donations through the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation have been steady, with the money going directly toward maintaining the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital in the DRC capital of Kinshasa.
“The hospital is doing very well,” Mutombo said. “People are responding. That’s the only way we’ve been able to buy medicine and treat people. We’ve treated 85,000 people at our hospital. People are opening their heart despite the financial crisis.”
Mutombo, a member of the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame in Boise, Idaho, will continue to donate his time, energy and money to help improve education and living conditions in Africa. It’s a natural fit with his job with the NBA.
“I love it,” he said. “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.”
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