NBA Africa announces annual award, named after the legendary basketballer Dikembe Mutombo,

In a remarkable move, the NBA has announced the creation of the NBA Africa Dikembe Mutombo Humanitarian Award, a new annual honour, that will recognize a person or an organization that works to advance health, education or economic opportunity across the continent of Africa.

The award is named after the late four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo, who served as the NBA’s first global ambassador following his retirement from the league in 2009.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, while announcing the new initiative, also said that NBA Africa will build 55 courts to local communities on the continent in honour of Mutombo and his iconic jersey number, beginning in his native Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo where he first discovered his love for the game.  The courts will feature a distinct design inspired by Mutombo and contribute to NBA Africa’s commitment of building 1,000 courts on the continent over the next decade.

During the luncheon, speaker after speaker hailed the legacy of Mutombo, who was revered for his on and off the court achievements.

He was a defensive steel during his playing delays and his talent did not go unnoticed attracting the acclamation of former US President George Bush.

The announcement was made at the 10th annual NBA Africa All-Star Luncheon in San Francisco, California, as part of NBA All-Star 2025.  The award will be presented annually beginning at next year’s luncheon, with the recipient receiving a financial grant to further their humanitarian efforts and a donation from NBA Africa to a charity of their choice.

“Dikembe devoted his life to helping others and brought joy to so many people across Africa and around the world,” said Silver.  “This new award and the basketball courts built in his name will honour Dikembe’s extraordinary legacy as a global humanitarian.”

During the event, Congolese musician Fally Ipupa belted his song, psyching up the room, in a symbolic gesture to his compatriot.

Selected fourth overall in the 1991 NBA Draft, Mutombo spent 18 years in the NBA during which time he was an eight-time NBA All-Star and four-time Defensive Player of the Year, leading the league in blocked shots three times and becoming the second-leading shot blocker in NBA history.  He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.

Recognized for his philanthropic and humanitarian work, Mutombo was a recipient of many awards, including the Congressional Humanitarian Award (2013), John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Goodermote Humanitarian Award (2011), Laureus World Sports Award (2010), John Thompson Jr. Legacy of a Dream Award (2010) and the U.S. President’s Service Award (2000). 

A general hospital he built in Kinshasa and named in memory of his late mother, the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital, opened its doors to the public in 2007.