The Hawks will pay tribute and honor the life of Dikembe Mutombo on Monday, the team announced.
The Hawks will host the Mavericks and have several tributes planned for the Hall of Famer.
The team will wear special shooting shirts displaying Mutombo’s iconic finger wag. The court will feature a decal with his silhouette and No. 55. Following a blocked shot, a “No, No, No” audio will be played in the arena. At halftime, the team will debut a retrospective video on the scoreboard, celebrating Mutombo’s impact both on and off the court throughout his career. In addition, the Mutombo family will be honored during the evening’s events.
The Hawks also will debut their new Fly City Edition uniforms.
Mutombo, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer who had his number retired by the Hawks after playing four-plus years with the franchise, died Sept. 30.
“The Mutombo family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Tony Ressler, Jami Gertz, Grant Hill, Steve Koonin, and the entire Atlanta Hawks organization,” the Mutombo family said in a statement. “Your tribute to Dikembe’s incredible basketball career with the Hawks, and his humanitarian work both in Atlanta and globally, means the world to us. Dikembe had a special bond with the Hawks and his devoted fans. Thank you for making his time in Atlanta truly special and memorable. Dikembe once said, ‘Our legacy in life is about the race and this race is not finished, we just have to pass the torch.’”
Mutombo dedicated himself to humanitarian work, focusing on health care and education in his homeland of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He founded the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, which supported various initiatives, including the construction of a state-of-the-art hospital in Kinshasa.
Mutombo ranks second all-time in NBA history in blocked shots with 3,289 during his career. He appeared in 343 games with the franchise from 1996-2001, averaging 11.9 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game. He ranks first in blocks per game and third in total blocks in franchise history with 1,094. Mutombo set the team record for the most defensive rebounds in a season (853 in 1999-2000) and is one of only six Hawks to average at least 10.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game (min. 300 games played). A four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time NBA All-Star, he is also one of only three players in Hawks history to achieve a point/rebound/block triple-double.
“While we are deeply saddened by the passing of Dikembe Mutombo, we are honored to use our Nov. 25 game as a platform to honor Dikembe,” Koonin, CEO of the Hawks and State Farm Arena said in a statement. “The Hawks family is committed to preserving his legacy and celebrating the impact he made both on and off the court, a true testament to his character and sportsmanship.”
Fans are encouraged to donate to the Dikembe Mutombo Memorial Fund to help contribute to the causes and organizations Mutombo dedicated his life to supporting.
Credit: Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Hawks
Credit: Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Hawks
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