On Nov. 6, thousands of people gathered in Mbuji-Mayi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Among them stood the man behind the event, easily identifiable from his 7’2” frame and energetic presence. In a black pinstriped suit, he stood, smiling, among the attendees.

“It was a blessing of a day,” former NBA star Dikembe Mutombo (SLL ’91) said in an interview with The Hoya. “Everybody thought it was going to rain but it didn’t rain.”

Mutombo and the rest of the crowd were there to witness the inauguration of a new school, the Samuel Mutombo Institute of Science & Entrepreneurship. After a successful opening, the school is now up and running with more than 400 students from kindergarten to sixth grade. Every student is on full scholarship, including transportation and meals.

Since he was midway through his illustrious career in the NBA, Mutombo has poured himself into charity work. In 1997, he created the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation to improve quality of life in the DRC by investing in education and primary health care for low-income Congolese people. The Institute of Science & Entrepreneurship, established in honor of Mutombo’s late father, was the foundation’s newest project.

Mutombo was born in the DRC in 1966 to Samuel Mutombo and Biamba Marie Mutombo. His father was an educator who worked his way up the ranks in the DRC’s school system.

“He became a superintendent, then a principal, then a general superintendent, and then he was in charge of the entire school system in the Congo,” Mutombo said. “I made him retire after I got into the NBA.”

Built in the senior Mutombo’s ancestral home, the Institute of Science & Entrepreneurship honors his undying commitment to education in the DRC.

After graduating from high school, Mutombo headed to Georgetown University on a scholarship from the United States Agency for International Development. He arrived speaking little English and threw himself into a busy schedule. 

“I went to English class from 9:30 to 2:30, then I had to go to my other classes after I got out from my English class,” Mutombo said. “Then I had to go to basketball practice, then I had to lift weights, then I had to go eat, then I had to go study. I used to get back to my dorm at 8 p.m., after leaving at 8 in the morning.”

Mutombo graduated with bachelor’s degrees in linguistics and diplomacy and was drafted into the NBA as the fourth overall pick. He finished his 18-year career with the second most blocks in NBA history. 

As Mutombo’s time in the NBA concluded, his second career began. In 2007, the Mutombo Foundation built a general hospital in Kinasha, the DRC capital. Named for Mutombo’s late mother, the $29 million Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital has served more than 500,000 patients over 15 years. It offers all major medical services, along with a pharmacy, cafeteria and laundry service. The hospital was responsible for the first-ever knee replacements in the DRC and started programs to combat the growing number of cervical cancer cases in the country.

The hospital and school now stand as the two pillars of the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation’s work in the DRC, honoring Mutombo’s parents by supporting causes that were dear to their hearts.  

As it was in college, Mutombo’s schedule is crowded. He is the NBA’s first and only global ambassador and sits on the boards of the Centers for Disease Control Foundation, the United States’ fund for UNICEF and Special Olympics International. He is also the founder of Mutombo Coffee, which works to close the gender gap in African coffee production. Additionally, he is married with three children, one of whom, Ryan, is a first-year on the Georgetown men’s basketball team. 

“It’s a lot,” Mutombo said, smiling. “I don’t know how I do it. My table is full of papers.”

Mutombo has been extensively honored for his service. He was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and given the Congressional Humanitarian Award in 2013. He also received the 2018 Sager Strong Award, which is awarded to “an individual who has been a trailblazer while exemplifying courage, faith, compassion, and grace.”

Though the accolades have built up around him, Mutombo remains the same. He is the product of his father’s passion for education and his mother’s commitment to supporting one’s community. 

Mutombo believes that in the future, he will be judged not by his career in the NBA but by the impact he had on the communities that he has found himself in. 

“That’s the way I see life,” Mutombo said. “I feel like I’m fulfilling my mission.”