After injuring his knee last night in playoff action at the Rose Garden, Houston Rockets center Dikembe Mutombo says his career is over. He hurt his knee while getting tangled up with Portland TrailBlazer center Greg Oden. Dikembe played 18 seasons in the NBA and was an eight time all-star. He is also a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and is second on the all-time block list with 1,196 blocks. Mutombo played for Denver, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York, and most recently with Houston.
I will remember Dikembe for his Atlanta Hawks days. I think any true Hawks fan will remember Dikembe waving his finger to the crowd after making a block. He said that this meant not in the House of Mutombo. Watching Dikembe was always fun and I will always connect with Hawks greats such as Coach Lenny Wilkins, Mookie Blaylock, and Steve Smith. I will also remember when Dikembe led the Denver Nuggets to an upset of Shawn Kemp and company in the NBA playoffs. Denver was an eight seed. Dikembe was also a model citizen off the court and is well known for his Humanitarian work. I remember when George Bush honored him in his State of the Union Address in 2007. Mutombo will be sorely missed in the NBA, but I am sure we will hear a lot more from him in the near future.
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