Remembering The Great Dikembe Mutombo: An NBA and Humanitarian Legend

Yesterday, the basketball community and Philadelphia 76ers lost a good one in former center, Dikembe Mutombo.

The basketball legend passed away at the age of 58 from brain cancer.

When I heard the news, I, like most people, was in complete shock because I had no idea that Dikembe Mutombo was even sick.

In his 18-year career, Dikembe Mutombo was a highly decorated player and a legend at that.

He was a player that was to be feared on the defensive side of the ball, amounting to 3,289 blocks in his NBA career.

And who could forget his iconic finger wave celebration whenever he would send another player’s shot right back at them?

His play spoke for itself and he was recognized for it as he was an eight-time NBA All-Star selection, a four-time Defensive Player Of The Year Award winner, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.

All that said, the most impressive work he did was off the court.

Dikembe Mutombo did a ton of humanitarian work, and it was incredible.

He was involved in many things to help the lives of others like being on the board of the Special Olympics, the NBA Cares Clinics in Africa, U2’s One Foundation with Bono, and even his own Dikembe Mutombo Foundation.

It is safe to say he left the world in a better place than he found it.

Although he only played for the 76ers for one season, Dikembe Mutombo left his mark on Philadelphia.

That 2000-2001 Sixers team went on their legendary run to the 2001 NBA Finals and is one of the most beloved teams in Philly sports history, and Mutombo was a huge part of that.

Anytime he came back for a visit and I had the honor of announcing him to the crowd, he was always greeted with a warm welcome and Philly sports royalty.

Speaking of announcing, I have a funny story involving Dikembe!

Back during the 2001-2002 season, we had a player on the Sixers named Alvin Jones, who was a 6’11” center out of Georgia Tech.

I remember one game, Jones was checking in for Mutombo, and instead of saying “Alvin Jones,” I accidentally said “Alvin Williams,” who was a former Villanova great playing for the Toronto Raptors.

As I said that, Dikembe walked by and said, with that great voice of his, “There is no ‘Alvin William’ on this team — HA HA HA!”

It is something I’ll always remember, and a player I’ll always remember, too.

Long live Dikembe Mutombo!

I have been doing the public address announcements for the Philadelphia 76ers for almost three decades. I have seen a ton of cool and historic things over the years. With that being said, I've never seen what Joel Embiid did last night at the Wells Fargo Center.

I consider it a privilege to be able to announce for the Sixers in Embiid’s era with the team and in the NBA. It is truly amazing.

What he did last night was truly unreal and there are not enough adjectives to describe his performance.

In case you are living under a rock, or had an early night last night, here's the headline. The reigning MVP set a Sixers franchise record last night with a 70-point game against the San Antonio Spurs.

He broke Wilt Chamberlain’s previous record of 68 points scored in a single game, which Wilt did in 1967.

For those wondering — Yes, Wilt Chamberlain did, in fact, score 100 points before in a single game for a Philadelphia team. But it was actually with the Philadelphia Warriors, not the 76ers.

Anytime you can beat a record held by Wilt Chamberlain, you know you are amongst the all-time greats.

Well, that is exactly what Joel Embiid did last night.

Oh, and if his 70 points were not enough for you, he also checked in with a career-high in rebounds as well with 18 boards.

Talk about a man on a mission.

Last night was already a special night to begin with. Rookie sensation, Victor Wembanyama, took the court for the first time in his career in Philadelphia.

Wemby is a 7’4” center from France. He is the most highly touted rookie since LeBron James. So you know the building had a buzz to start the night.

Then Joel Embiid took the court, and you could just tell by his body language that he was going to dominate.

However, I don’t think anyone in the building could predict just what he was going to do.

Speaking of people in the building, the stars were out to see the game last night, including M Night Shyamalan, Charlie Mack, Brian Westbrook, Duce Staley, Michael Schulson, Michael Rubin, Tyrone and Denise Maxey, the 6th man Alan Horwitz, and Jumaine Jones — who actually rang the bell as well!

I think it is safe to say that they all left impressed.

I know I did — so much so that Good Day Philadelphia is sending a cameraman to the MGK studios to get my reaction!

Congrats to Joel Embiid on a historic night, and I can’t wait to see what he does next!

If they let him play all 48 minutes in one game, I am sure he can break Chamberlain’s record of 100 points one day!

Enjoy the social media reactions and sights on sounds from my perspective last night below!

Joel Embiid's teammates are thrilled for the big fella. Mo Bamba took a moment to tweet in support.

What a quote. I love that he did not know this. Wilt DID do it, just not for the Sixers, per se.

A Process reunion took place after the big moment. No matter how you feel about The Process, this is cool.

I don't think M. Night Shyamalan could write a script like last night! Joel was the one who provided the plot twist.

Airport Johnny with some thoughts! I always love to see how on top of things John Clark is.

LEBRON! Yes. LeBron James even tweeted about it. That's how big-time Joel is.

What an insane stat. Only nine people have done that in one game. He is truly our MVP.

Love a good KD reaction! We will likely see more reactions pour in from other NBA players in the coming days.

I got up close and personal with all the action! I get to most nights, but this one was particularly special.

This was my view last night when he broke the record. I am so lucky to get a front-row seat at amazing moments like this as the PA Announcer for the Sixers.

Little did he know what Joel Embiid was about to do on that court. Little did we all know, actually.

There was a crazy delay so I got to snap a picture of myself on TV after we wrapped. How cool is that?

This was a stellar moment for me! Thanks for having me on, Mike and Alex, and all at Fox 29 Good Day.