Dikembe Mutombo is Awesome

[filihok]

Whenever I get sick of reading about all the Mike Vick's and Plaxico Burress' I like to remind myself that there are a few guys in the sports world like Dikembe Mutombo.

http://www.dmf.org/index.php

While Vick was making a few extra bucks by torturing animals, Mutombo was spending $20 mil of his own money to build a hospital in the Congo.


Good on you Dikembe!!!

[TheNamelessPoet]

you dont hear about it because it doesnt sell papers

[OregonDuck1989]

I love Dikembe. His finger wag after every block while the play continues on the other side of the court is classic. He's one of my favorite players.

[BINGLEBOP]

I love his full name... Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo. I used to know it by heart.

[bucher34]

One of my all-time favorite moments in sports history (at least NBA history) was when Jordan gave Mutombo the finger wag after "posterizing" him. LOL, great moment.

[dickay]

Mutumbo is one of the greatest sportsman of alltime. A true role model if there ever was one.

[oriole^]

Mutumbo is one of the greatest sportsman of alltime. A true role model if there ever was one.

I agree. It's truly a shame that the behavior of the true quality gentlemen of sport isn't highlighted more often. People like Dikembe Mutombo, Dwyane Wade, and Adonal Foyle really make their world a better place.

[dickay]

I agree. It's truly a shame that the behavior of the true quality gentlemen of sport isn't highlighted more often. People like Dikembe Mutombo, Dwyane Wade, and Adonal Foyle really make their world a better place.

Agreed 100%. The sad thing is, it isn't that those stories don't sell....its that the media has to work harder to put them together. It's easy to go out and find a sleaze story, the good stories often IMO are easy to find but take more effort in terms of time & money to make them presentable. The media takes the easy way out.

ESPN once in a blue moon does these great pieces where a star athlete like Shaq gives some troubled kid their dream day. I remember the eagles a few years ago had a kid with cancer in to coach a practice with Andy Reid. These stories are so much more appealing to me that the everyday athlete shootings, steroid stories, etc.

[200tang]

I sort of disagree that these stories don't sell. To be honest I just think it's the media that assumes these stories don't sell when in reality people love hearing them.

EDIT: I think most sports fans would rather hear about something like this rather than TO, Pacman Jones, Vick, Steroids, Barry Bonds, etc... day in and out.

[Arctic Blast]

That is an interesting question...which type of story DOES hold more interest for the average sports fan? Sadly, if I'm being honest I bet it would be a pretty close vote. Society loves the train wreck.

Anyway, I've always liked Mutombo. I remember him as the centerpiece on those Nuggets teams that would sneak in to the #8 spot every year and then give the #1 seed Hell while he racked up literally 10 blocks a game in the postseason.

[filihok]

I don't think it'd be close at all...

Just look at these threads. How many responses will this thread get compared to a B*nds/steroid thread?

Two theories:

1) People like to read about the bad things because there's more to talk about. What is there to say about Mutombo. "Wow! That's a great thing Mutombo is doing..." then...that's about it really.

2) People like to read about the bad things because it makes them feel better. If you read the Mike Vick kills dogs for a hobby you feel good about yourself because you like to watch CSI, which isn't as bad. If you read about Mutombo giving $20 mil to build a hospital then you think that you gave the waitress an extra buck at IHOP...

[etothep]

Who wants to sex Mutombo?

[dickay]

I sort of disagree that these stories don't sell. To be honest I just think it's the media that assumes these stories don't sell when in reality people love hearing them.

EDIT: I think most sports fans would rather hear about something like this rather than TO, Pacman Jones, Vick, Steroids, Barry Bonds, etc... day in and out.

actually, i mistyped. what i was trying to say is that it "isn't" that those stories don't sell, its that the media has to work harder....etc. I agree with you and edited my post.

[200tang]

actually, i mistyped. what i was trying to say is that it "isn't" that those stories don't sell, its that the media has to work harder....etc. I agree with you and edited my post.

I meant my post to be to everyone since even if you had meant it it wouldn't have been just you who held that belief that 'happy' stories don't sell.

[etothep]

Dikembe 'Who Wants to Sex' Mutombo's career likely ended last night