Kinshasa press review from Tuesday October 1, 2024.
The unexpected death of world basketball legend Jean-Jacques Mutombo Dikembe made the front page of all the newspapers published this Tuesday in Kinshasa.
The newspaper Infos 27 affirms that the former Congolese pivot Mutombo Dikembe, considered one of the greatest defenders in the history of the NBA (American basketball champion), died at the age of 58 following a brain cancer, citing the NBA and several American media. An emblematic figure of world basketball, reports this daily, Mutombo Dikembe, with a height of 2.18 meters, marked his era with his imposing defensive presence and his charismatic personality, both on and off the field. Nicknamed “Mount Mutombo” because of his stature and his impenetrable game, this tabloid reports, he was particularly distinguished by his index finger gesture to say “no” after blocking an opposing shot, a sign that has become iconic for fans around the world. According to this portal, Mutombo has been named Defensive Player of the Year four times, a remarkable performance that puts him on par with legends like Ben Wallace and Rudy Gobert.
The Lighthouse points out that Mutombo Dikembe was not only gigantic in size but also famous for his fierce play and humanitarian actions. This portal reveals that the destiny of this diligent student, with a father who was a school principal and then a senior official in Education, changed in 1987, when the American government offered him a university scholarship. According to this daily, the plan is for young Mutombo Dikembe to study medicine in the United States to return to practice it later in the DRC. At 21, notes Le Phare, the great Congolese flew to Washington DC, where a place awaited him at Georgetown University. In Uncle Sam’s country, this portal reminds us, the size of the guy does not go unnoticed. John Thompson, famous coach of the Georgetown university basketball team, convinced him to join his squad. Installed as a pivot, adds the Phare, the Congolese abandons medicine to devote himself to university basketball.
The Reference Plus underlines that even before the end of his career, the basketball player was very involved in humanitarian work. In his hoarse voice, reports this daily, he confided to RFI, at the end of 2019, the philosophy that has always driven him: “Give and give back to Africa, help the youth of my continent, whatever the circumstances. This is what makes me move forward and live with such passion.” For this tabloid, Mutombo Dikembe did not become a doctor, but he was always fascinated by medicine and worked extensively in the field of health in the DRC and Africa. La Reference Plus recalls that in 1997, he created a foundation in his name and 10 years later in 2007, he built a hospital in the commune of Masina in Kinshasa which bears the name of Biamba Marie Mutombo, in honor of the biological mother.
The True Theme continues and notes that Mutombo Dikembe built a school complex in Mbuji-Mayi: nursery, primary, secondary, where young people learn English in primary at the same time as French.
For this part, the Potential indicates that the Head of State Félix Tshisekedi, on a state visit to Budapest, Hungary, says he is saddened by the painful news of the disappearance of Jean-Jacques Mutombo Dikembe. According to this daily, the President of the Republic sees in the illustrious deceased a model for Congolese youth.
