He wasn’t the most graceful or the most polished. He didn’t put up gaudy offensive numbers like the other centers of his era. He didn’t have youngsters sporting his jersey around town, wanting to be like him when they grew up. But don’t be fooled: when Dikembe Mutombo becomes eligible for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, there is absolutely no question that he deserves a place among the all-time greats.
Drafted by the Denver Nuggets after being named an AP All-American at Georgetown in 1991, Mutombo was an immediate contributor and easily one of the league’s best centers for the next decade. Many overlook Deke’s consistency when examining his career due to his lack of scoring prowess, but all of his other numbers line up favorably against the murderer’s row of superb centers (Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Shaquille O’Neal) that played during the 1990s. From 1991-2002, Mutombo ranked first in total rebounds (with nearly 1,700 more than Karl Malone, who was second), first in blocks (with over 600 more than second-place finisher David Robinson), and averaged a double-double in each of those 11 seasons.
Mutombo was a force on defense who could single-handedly change an opponent’s offensive game plan. He led the NBA in total blocks for five consecutive seasons from 1993 to 1998, while also leading the league in total rebounds on four separate occasions. Mutombo retired with more blocked shots than anyone in league history not named Hakeem Olajuwon (since the league began keeping blocked shots as a statistic in 1973) and is currently 20th in all-time total boards.
The league recognized Mutombo’s value on the defensive end of the floor, as he is one of only two players (along with former Detroit Piston Ben Wallace) to win the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year Award four times. He was named to the league’s All-Defensive Team six times, made three appearances on the All-NBA Team, and was a First Team All-Rookie selection following the 1991-92 season.
In his first playoff appearance in 1994, Mutombo helped orchestrate one of the greatest upsets in league history when he led his 8th-seeded Nuggets squad to a first round upset over the top-seeded Seattle Supersonics (the first time a #8 had ever defeated a #1). Denver then took the heavily-favored Utah Jazz to seven games before bowing out in the Western Conference semifinals. The closest Mutombo came to winning a championship was in 2001, when he and Allen Iverson led the 76ers to the NBA Finals where they lost in five games to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Numbers aside, Mutombo is probably most-fondly remembered for a single finger.
It was one of the most symbolic on-court gestures of the 1990s. Whether it was a shifty point guard driving the lane, or a high-flying slasher knifing to the hole, or a big man muscling his way to the rim, he was there. Waiting. And when he sent back that finger roll, or jump hook, or dunk attempt, as he did over 3,200 times in his career, Mutombo wagged that elongated index finger in the face (and later to the crowd, after it was deemed by the league to be taunting) of his opponent; just as fans of the NBA should do to anyone who suggests that Dikembe Mutombo does not belong in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
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