Photos: Wikimedia Commons
NBA Africa (www.NBA.com) and Quest Water Global, a socially responsible water solutions company, today announced a multiyear collaboration to build or renovate 55 full-size and 3-on-3 basketball courts across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by 2030 in honor of Dikembe Mutombo, the late four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer who served as the NBA’s first global ambassador following his retirement from the league in 2009.
The collaboration will support NBA Africa’s commitment to build or renovate 1,000 courts across the continent over the next decade and see Quest Water Global serve as the league’s Official Infrastructure Development Partner in the DRC.
The collaboration tipped off on Tuesday, Sept. 29 with the unveiling of a new outdoor basketball court at Cercle Onatra, Kinshasa, where Mutombo began his basketball journey with Basketball Club Onatra before relocating to the U.S. The court pays homage to Mutombo by featuring his iconic No. 55 jersey number at center court and is expected to serve thousands of youth from the local community each year. To celebrate the unveiling, NBA Africa hosted a Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA clinic for 80 local coaches.
As part of the collaboration, a second court will be unveiled in Mutombo’s hometown of Mbuji-Mayi in the coming weeks.
“Dikembe believed basketball was a powerful tool for teaching young people discipline, teamwork, resilience, leadership, and service to others,” said Rose Mutombo. “My hope is that this court, and many more to come, will help inspire future generations to embrace these values, pursue education, and discover the opportunities the game can create.”
“Collaborating with NBA Africa on this court build initiative reflects our shared belief that healthy, thriving communities need more than one thing – they need clean water, safe spaces, and the opportunity to grow,” said Quest Water Global, Inc. CEO John Balanko. “Quest Water Global is proud to stand alongside NBA Africa in this work, and honored that our collaboration carries forward a spirit of service and community investment that will outlast all of us.”
“Our collaboration with Quest Water Global will expand access to basketball across the Democratic Republic of the Congo – a country that holds a special place in the history of our game because of the enormous impact and enduring legacy of Dikembe Mutombo,” said NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi. “Through this multiyear commitment, we are creating more opportunities for young people in Dikembe’s native DRC to follow in his enormous footsteps both as players and leaders.”
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.
