Dikembe Mutombo

Update Sept. 30, 2024: UNICEF USA mourns the loss of a true humanitarian and NBA legend, Dikembe Mutombo. We are so grateful for his leadership, compassion and commitment to children. He leaves a legacy of hope. He will be dearly missed.

Dikembe Mutombo came to the U.S. from the DR Congo in 1987 to study medicine at Georgetown University. He immediately excelled not only in his academics but also in basketball. Dikembe was an NBA superstar for 18 seasons, which culminated in his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and his appointment as the first NBA Global Ambassador. Committed to making a positive difference in the world, Dikembe leveraged his platform to become a spokesman for the underserved, especially those living in the Congo and throughout Africa. In his post-NBA career, Dikembe served as a full-time advocate and ambassador to ensure that those in need have access to health care and economic opportunities. As part of that mission, he founded the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation in 1997 and opened the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital in Kinshasa, DRC in 2007, serving hundreds of thousands of people in the area to date. The Foundation opened the Samuel Mutombo Institute for Science & Entrepreneurship in Mbuji-Mayi, DR Congo in 2021. Dikembe also served on the boards of the National Constitution Center, Special Olympics International, the CDC Foundation and UNICEF USA.