Dikembe Mutombo Refuses to Retire
Dikembe Mutombo, the (allegedly!) 41-year old center, will be back in Houston for one more season. The Rockets are expected to pay the ancient big man just under $2 million for his services.
“I will probably sign,” Mutombo said Wednesday night at a reception for Basketball Without Borders, the NBA outreach program that is in its fifth year of assembling the top 100 African prospects. “I just need one more phone call. (Rockets owner) Les (Alexander) and I need to squeeze out one or two more things.”
“I’m just an old guy looking to play one more year.”
Yes, you are a very old guy. But, somehow, you continue to be a productive ballplayer.
Last season, Deke averaged 6.5 boards and blocked 1 shot per night. In January, he became the NBA’s second leading shot blocker of all time (he’s about 600 blocks behind Olajuwon). Historians believe that the record he holds for most teammates hit with elbows will never be broken, let alone approached.
44 Responses to “Dikembe Mutombo Refuses to Retire”
Sep.6 at 2:28 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Not to be gramatically pedantic, Mutoni, but based on where you put the parenthetical, I think you said Deke is only allegedly a center. I just can’t agree with that.
Sep.6 at 2:33 pm
Dan says:
Somehow, I see Deke playing in the league until about the age of 60. Then again, he may already be 60!
Sep.6 at 2:35 pm
Homie says:
“most teammates hit with elbows”…ain’t that the truth.
Sep.6 at 2:35 pm
mutoni says:
fixed. thanks, jonesy.
Sep.6 at 2:36 pm
MikeC says:
Mutombo is allegedly a center. We need to carbon date him to make sure.
Sep.6 at 2:37 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Hey, I’m here to annoy.
Sep.6 at 2:39 pm
mutoni says:
if mutombo’s age played michigan…
Sep.6 at 2:42 pm
Reggie Evans says:
this should generate some comments …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFlXj989dZE
Sep.6 at 2:55 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Dikembe is the only player in the League who is older than both of his parents.
Sep.6 at 3:31 pm
albie1kenobi says:
rockets is LOADED for next season. but i still can’t figure out what the hell they are doing with all those PGs. is mcgrady/battier gonna play the 4 now?
Sep.6 at 3:33 pm
bakers' dozen (12-13) says:
Russ!!! Ha!
Deke would have broken Olajuwan’s record if he hadn’t been drafted at the tender age of 27.
Sep.6 at 3:33 pm
bakers' dozen (12-13) says:
He is perhaps the most charitable of all NBA players, though. The work he’s done in AFrica and around the world is just amazing! Didn’t he basically start Basketball Without Borders?
Sep.6 at 3:43 pm
SMK says:
who wants to sign Mutombo
Sep.6 at 3:46 pm
white hot eboy says:
Reggie, I’m sure the Lakers would have been thrilled if 24 broke an ankle or his leg with that stupid sh*t.
Sep.6 at 4:10 pm
Captain America says:
must be in the bones
Sep.6 at 4:23 pm
Tarzan Cooper says:
deke is a monkey. the oldest monkey in recorded history.
Sep.6 at 4:24 pm
Dan says:
Jerry Buss just slapped a prostitute when his probation officer showed him that video during their meeting!
Sep.6 at 4:35 pm
d.Y. says:
Speaking of bones, isn’t Manute Bol the most charitable NBA player, considering he’s broke, and has done numerous stupid things (Boxing the Fridge, playing hockey) to raise money for Sudan? Maybe there’s a correlation between shotblocking and a desire to give. If that’s the case, Coach Muggsy must be a d*ck.
Sep.6 at 4:48 pm
b4hoops says:
Another year, another NBA paycheck. Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo is wagging his fingers all the way to the bank. Nice gig, if you can get it.
Sep.6 at 4:54 pm
Tarzan Cooper says:
he played alot when yao was out, and put up some great numbers, 20 board 6 block nights
Sep.6 at 5:16 pm
john says:
the way mutombo talks, makes me scared of him.
Sep.6 at 6:03 pm
H to the izzo says:
Did anybody else notice that monkey comment?
Sep.6 at 6:13 pm
Eoin says:
It irritates me that Deke comes second in blocks when only like half of Kareem’s blocks are counted.Deke should only be allowed to pass Kareem if he plays another five years, averaging a block a night.
Sep.6 at 6:34 pm
Dan says:
2 things: if Deke is roughly 600 blocks behind Kareem, then how is it possible for him to surpass Kareem at a block a night for five years? Think about it Eoin! The other is regarding that monkey comment. Now I am no biologist, nor am I a expert on racism, but that comment seemed more than a little odd to me. Tarzan, care to explain yourself?
Sep.6 at 6:36 pm
Dan says:
My bad Eoin. I got a little confused as to what you were saying. But my beef with the monkey comment still stands!
Sep.6 at 6:47 pm
Z says:
Tarzan Cooper, I’m calling you out and I’m asking you to clarify your monkey comment.
Sep.6 at 7:13 pm
Chris O says:
Tarzan Cooper = Billy Packer?
Sep.6 at 7:31 pm
Zachary Armstrong says:
I hope he plays for ever. I’ve always liked how he plays. He’s a solid player still and should be for a while.
Sep.6 at 8:30 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Dikembe Mutombo is the common ancestor of all living human beings.
Sep.7 at 12:37 am
StyK says:
peace man….mt.mutombo rox on another year…hail him and his bones…:P
Sep.7 at 6:21 am
maio says:
Who will ever forget the young 30 year old Deke back in 1994 on the floor of the Key Arena screaming with joy. My highlight from that series however is the late Brian Williams with an Ayrton Senna tribute on his sneakers.
Sep.7 at 7:27 am
Bishop1405 says:
Scientifically speaking isnt Russ saying the same thing as Tarzan?
Sep.7 at 8:25 am
H to the izzo says:
Tarzan Cooper=Assh*le
Sep.7 at 11:56 am
Roscoe Chibbs says:
t. cooper– what exactly were you trying to say wit that monkey comment?? do you care to explain away your ignorant comment and/or stand by it???
Sep.7 at 12:49 pm
Lew B. Money says:
I’ll explain Tarzan’s comment Allah damn it. He simply meant that Mutumbo LOOKS like a monkey when he goes up for those six blocked shots per night. you people are too pessimistic.
Sep.7 at 12:52 pm
Lew B. Money says:
Lew thinks Mr. Mutumbo is in the top eight centers of all time in nba history, top eleven in world history.
Sep.7 at 2:22 pm
Tariq says:
I believe Mutombo supervised the building of Versailles.
Sep.7 at 4:48 pm
JustMe says:
Just want to share a priceless memory: My 4′11″ girlfriend in college was telling me about going to the cafeteria that day, sitting alone when along came the subsonic, gravelly request “Can I sit here?” and looking up saw Deke. “Wha?!” His voice was so low compared to what anyone is used to that it was initially unintelligible to her. As she recounted it, she put her hands like 15″ apart with a mock look of horror, a silent “Oooo” and a scared shaking no of the head–hahaha. For days she would say “I’m Dikembe from Zaire” in her lowest voice.
But I do say he is a great man: how many people build hospitals for people in need? Monkey comment calls for wag of the finger.
Sep.7 at 8:27 pm
sush carter says:
wasn’t tarzan’s mom a monkey?
Sep.7 at 9:25 pm
Cahyo says:
what?? deke is already 41?? his face look not much older than greg oden
Sep.9 at 3:09 pm
truthismygame says:
its Hakeem that owns the record for blocks, not Kareem……….
Sep.11 at 2:14 pm
Matt Sergent says:
I can’t wait till Oden gets his first finger wag.
Sep.12 at 5:12 am
paul wall says:
@truthismygame:
but kareem played A LOT of games over the years (one of the reasons he tops almost every all-time nba category), during a time when blocks weren’t registered…
Sep.12 at 1:03 pm
Pablo (ARGENTINA) says:
The NBA need more players like Mutombo. Nowadays, the NBA looks like a sissy game