NBA Africa’s Mutombo Award to Recognize Champions of Change

The NBA Africa Dikembe Mutombo Humanitarian Award is a new annual honour that will recognize a person or an organization that works to advance health, education or economic opportunity across the continent of Africa.

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

In a tribute to one of basketball’s greatest humanitarian figures, the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has announced the launch of the NBA Africa Dikembe Mutombo Humanitarian Award, a new annual honour that will recognize a person or an organization that works to advance health, education or economic opportunity across the continent of Africa.

The award is named after 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 and who dedicated much of his life to philanthropy, particularly in his home continent of Africa.

The announcement was made at the 10th annual NBA Africa All-Star Luncheon in San Francisco as part of NBA All-Star 2025. The award will be presented annually beginning at next year’s luncheon, with the recipient receiving a financial grant to further their humanitarian efforts and a donation from NBA Africa to a charity of their choice.

“Dikembe devoted his life to helping others and brought joy to so many people across Africa and around the world,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “This new award and the basketball courts built in his name will honour Dikembe's extraordinary legacy as a global humanitarian."

55 Courts to be built in Mutombo’s honour

In addition to the award, NBA Commissioner Silver also announced that NBA Africa will donate 55 courts to local communities on the continent in honour of Mutombo and his iconic jersey number, beginning in his native Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo where he first discovered his love for the game. The courts will feature a distinct design inspired by Mutombo and contribute to NBA Africa's commitment to building 1,000 courts on the continent over the next decade.

Selected fourth overall in the 1991 NBA Draft, Mutombo played 18 seasons in the NBA, earning eight 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,
His impact stretched far beyond the court. Mutombo was widely recognized for his humanitarian efforts, receiving honours such as 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.

In 2007, he built the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital in Kinshasa in memory of his late mother, providing vital healthcare services to thousands of people. With this award and the continued investment in grassroots basketball, NBA Africa ensures that Mutombo's legacy as a champion for African development lives on. His contributions to basketball and philanthropy remain inspiring, proving that the power of sports can extend far beyond the game.